Temper of a Dragon: Shadow Walker
by listenerrayne
Summary: (Book two in "Fury of a Wolf and Temper of a Dragon" series.) Lilliana is running from her life as a Companion, and chooses to walk the path of a thief, until she discovers that she is more suited to be an assassin. The Dark Brotherhood suits her, but will she ever return to Oliver, the man she thinks she loves? Rated M for language, sexual suggestions, and murder.
1. The Guild

**Note: It is HIGHLY recommended that you read this story's prequel: Fury of a Wolf and Temper of a Dragon before reading this. Otherwise, some things might confuse you.**

**oOo**

Madesi's strongbox had one bitch of a lock. It took six lockpicks before Lilliana could get the thing open. Inside, she rummaged around until she found a silver ring that she guessed was the one she was supposed to plant on Brand-Shei. She slipped the ring on and snuck over to Brand-Shei, who was sitting on some crates near his stall. From behind, Lilliana could easily reach into his pocket and slip the ring in.

Apparently, she had to complete a small job before she could become part of the Thieves Guild. That was okay, though. She had time.

Lilliana leaned on the crates from behind and glanced at Brynjolf, who was ranting about his "Falmer Blood Elixir" and making an excellent distraction. "Seems like a scam to me," she said.

"Probably is," Brand-Shei answered. Lilliana quickly reached down and slipped the ring into the Dunmer's pocket. Sadly, he noticed it. "What was that? Did you just pick my pocket?"

"I'm a Companion. I can't pick a pocket to save my life. That was probably just my knee," Lilliana replied and pointed to her knee, which was near Brand-Shei's pocket.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Living in Riften, you have to be suspicious about everybody," Brand-Shei said.

"It's okay. I understand." Lilliana smiled and gave the signal to Brynjolf that meant she was done. He nodded and ended his distraction. "Well, I need to get going now."

"It was good talking to you." Brand-Shei smiled. It made Lilliana wonder why someone wanted to see him put out of business. Shaking her head, Lilliana walked away and watched as Brand-Shei was taken away by the guards after they found the ring.

"Guess you still have those skills I taught ya, lass. How old are you now? Seventeen?" Brynjolf asked.

"Almost nineteen. So, my reward?" Lilliana inquired with a smile.

"Here." Brynjolf handed her a coinpurse. "Now, if you can get to a tavern in the Ratway called the-"

"The Ragged Flagon?" Lilliana added before he could finish. "Yeah, I know it. We both know I can get through the Ratway. I'm a Companion." She smirked.

"Companion? How about I'll come through the Ratway with you and you can tell me all what's happened to you," Brynjolf said. They both walked to the entrance to the Ratway.

"Those bandits had me until about four of five months ago when a Companion saved me. His name was Oliver. He brought me here to the Temple. Once I was healed enough I 'gathered' some gold and hired a carriage to take me to Whiterun. I became a Companion. Along with Oliver, I rose through the ranks and joined the Circle. As you might know, the previous Harbinger died, and Oliver became the Harbinger. Let's just say that Oliver and I had an argument, and I didn't want to stay there anymore, so I came here." Lilliana purposefully left out the part that she and Oliver were Dragonborn, the fact that the Companions were werewolves, and that Kodlak, the previous Harbinger, was Oliver's grandfather. Brynjolf didn't need to know everything.

"You and Oliver fell for each other and got into an argument? Must have been bad for you to just leave. What happened?" Lilliana shot Brynjolf a glare. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay. Please tell me you get used to the smell," Lilliana complained as they entered the sewers.

"You do," Brynjolf told her quietly. They both stopped the talking and crouched. Lilliana took out her bow, and Brynjolf unsheathed his dagger. "There's always lunatics down here. Be on your guard," Brynjolf whispered to Lilliana.

Two men were talking near the entrance. Lilliana shot them down easily. She and Brynjolf took down many skeevers and a few lowlifes until they got to the entrance to the Ragged Flagon.

"I have to say lass, I'm impressed with your fighting skills. You're not that little girl I taught to pick locks anymore. Those Companions did a good job with you," Brynjolf said as they entered the Flagon. The place had some alcoves in the walls, filled with cobwebs and dust. In the middle of the room was a pool of water, about a foot deep. On the other side of the room was a bar. Lilliana and Brynjolf walked down a curved walkway to the other side.

"They're the best warriors in Skyrim. What do you expect?" Lilliana smirked.

"Who's that, Bryn?" asked a bald Breton man sitting at a table.

"Remember the girl I was teaching thieving skills to until those bandits took her away a few years ago?" Brynjolf asked.

"That's her? She's grown into quite a beauty," the Breton man smiled.

"Don't listen to him. He's just trying to bed you," a blonde Imperial woman said. "What's your name? Started with an 'L' didn't it?"

"It's Lilliana. How do you know who I am? I've never been down here before," Lilliana asked suspiciously.

"Brynjolf used to talk about you nonstop back when you were younger. 'She's a protégé! Once she turns eighteen, she'll join us and be the best thief in here!'" mocked the Imperial.

"He was crushed when those bandits took you," added a fawn-haired man behind a counter.

"He pretty much lost hope that something good would ever happen again," a Redguard woman said from across the room.

"Shut it, guys! I haven't even introduced you to her and you're already mucking it up!" Brynjolf snapped. He pointed to the balding Breton man. "That's Delvin Mallory. He handles most of our contacts." He pointed to the blonde Imperial. "That's Vex. She handles contacts, too. You get small jobs from her and Delvin." Brynjolf pointed to the mustached man behind the counter. "That's Vekel the Man. You want mead or something to eat, you go to him." He pointed to the Redguard woman. "That's Tonilia. She makes armor and is our fence, so you'll get well acquainted to her." He pointed to a man wearing leather armor. "And that's Dirge. He's our bouncer. Now, before you can officially be in the Guild, you have to take care of some deadbeats for us."

"What'd they do?" Lilliana asked.

"They owe us some money. They're Bersi Honey-Hand, owner of the Pawned Prawn, Keerava, innkeeper of the Bee and Barb, and Haelga, she runs the bunkhouse," Brynjolf explained.

"Weaknesses?"

"Bersi has some Dwarven urn in his shop. He protects that thing with his life. I'm sure if you break it, he'll gladly give the money to you. Keerava has some family in Morrowind. Mention them, and she'll break. Haelga is a known worshipper of Dibella, and has a statue of her in her shop. Threaten to break it, and she'll cave."

"I can handle that," Lilliana said and began to walk out of the Ragged Flagon.

She came to the Pawned Prawn first, eager to smash an urn. Bersi was standing behind the counter.

"Welcome to the Pawned Prawn." He smiled.

"This a Dwarven urn?" Lilliana asked and laid a hand on it.

"Don't touch that! It's priceless!" Bersi whined.

"If you pay what you owe the Guild, I won't lay a finger on it," Lilliana sneered.

"Fine, fine, take it! Just don't touch my urn anymore!" Bersi spat and threw a large coinpurse at Lilliana. She caught it with a smile.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Lilliana smiled and walked out. She headed towards Haelga's Bunkhouse next. She walked in and turned right to see an expensive looking statue of Dibella. Lilliana picked it up.

"Don't touch that! You'll break it!" Haelga pleaded from her counter.

"Pay what you owe the Guild and I'll put it right down," Lilliana said calmly. She could still do this acting thing.

"Fine. I should have figured that the Thieves Guild would stoop to the level of threats. Take your damn money. I hope you choke on it," Haelga insulted. Lilliana brushed it off.

Keerava was next. Lilliana walked into the Bee and the Barb and found an Argonian woman standing behind the counter.

"You owe the Guild money," Lilliana stated.

"I know. Take it. I've heard about what you're doing. Bersi came over for a drink right after you threatened to smash his urn in!" Keerava sneered and handed over a coinpurse. Lilliana smiled and began to walk back to the Ratway.

"You've impressed me again, lass. We've been trying to get them to pay for months." Brynjolf smiled and took the coinpurses.

"Do I get into the Guild now?" Lilliana asked. Brynjolf nodded.

"Come with me," he said. He led her to a back room and through a supply closet. "This is the Cistern."

"We're under the marketplace," Lilliana observed. Like the Flagon, in the middle of the room was a pool of water. Four raised walkways rose up from the stone floors that surrounded the water and met in the middle, forming a circle. Above it was a hole, light falling into the room from it. It was the well that was in the marketplace.

"Right you are, lass. Mercer, this is the one I've told you about," Brynjolf said to a Breton man with brown hair that was standing in the middle of the Cistern.

"So, Brynjolf taught you to be a thief? Good thing you already have some skill. Brynjolf also said you were a Companion, so you have some fighting skill, too. Great. I think you'll be perfect for a job we need done. Just remember, you go by our rules. You do what we say, when we say. Do I make myself clear?" said the Breton man, apparently named Mercer.

"Yep," Lilliana said simply. There was something she didn't like about this guy, although she couldn't put her finger on it. But, he was giving her a job, so why question it?

"Mercer, you don't mean the Goldenglow job? Even Vex couldn't do that!" Brynjolf asked.

"You said this girl was a prodigy! Let her prove it!" Mercer snapped.

"All right . . ." Brynjolf said, unsure.

"Brynjolf will fill you in on the details. Welcome to the Thieves Guild," Mercer said with a small smile.

"Isn't Goldenglow a bee farm?" Lilliana asked.

"Aye, lass. The owner, Aringoth, angered one of our best clients. We want you to teach him the error of his ways. Go to Goldenglow, sneak in, and take everything from Aringoth's safe. Burn three beehives, too, but just three. Alright? Ask Vex about how to get in if you want to," Brynjolf explained.

"All right. Don't worry, I can handle it. I promise." Lilliana smiled.

"I'm sure you can, lass. Be careful. Vex didn't even get into the estate and almost died, and she's our most skilled infiltrator. Watch yourself out there," Brynjolf warned, "Oh, and talk to Tonilia. She'll set you up with your Guild armor."

"I'll go talk to Vex." Lilliana walked back into the Ragged Flagon, but remembered something that she had to tell Brynjolf, and turned back around. "If _anyone _comes to Riften asking if you've seen me, make sure you tell them that I'm not here and you haven't seen me. I'm trying to hide from what's happened these past few months. I don't want any of the Companions dragging me back to it."

"Sure thing, lass." Brynjolf nodded. Lilliana then turned and walked to the Flagon to speak to Vex.

The Imperial woman was leaning on some crates near the bar. Lilliana walked over. "Tell me about Goldenglow."

"Mercer is sending you to Goldenglow? Hope he knows what he's doing," Vex mumbled, "Damn Wood Elf stationed mercenaries around the place. I'm sure he's hired more since I got out, so be careful. I got in through some sewer tunnels, but you'll have to swim to the island if you want to get in undetected, which you will. Luckily, our Thieves Guild armor is waterproof, and so is the pack that comes with it. Go talk to Tonilia. She'll set you up."

"All right. Thanks for the advice." Lilliana smiled. Vex gave a small smile and nodded. Lilliana walked over to where Tonilia was sitting on some crates. "I was told I get my armor from you?"

"You were told right. Come on, we'll set you up." Tonilia started leading Lilliana back to the Cistern, but stopped before she entered the door, and entered a side room. A wardrobe stood in one corner. "Hmm . . ." Tonilia mumbled, looking through the clothes. She held up multiple pieces of Thieves Guild armor, comparing Lilliana to the size. "Try this on."

"All right." Lilliana took the set of armor. Tonilia walked out of the room, leaving Lilliana to figure out the buckles and belts on the armor by herself. The boots, gloves, and pants were easy enough, but the jerkin, which had multiple buckles on it, confused Lilliana.

"Uh . . ." Lilliana mumbled. _Where does this buckle go? Didn't I already fasten this one? No, wait, is this on backwards? _Lilliana was sure she had never been this confused in her life.

"Having trouble, eh?" Tonilia asked from the doorway. Lilliana turned, her undershirt showing through her jerkin. She nodded.

"I messed up."

"I can see that." Tonilia chuckled. "Here, you do it like this." Tonilia fixed Lilliana's armor in no time, having worn her own armor for years.

"Oh, I get it now," Lilliana said, looking down at her new armor. It molded to her body almost like a second skin. Many pouches and pockets covered the leather, made to hold lockpicks and hidden daggers. Lilliana could tell that this armor was enchanted to improve her thieving skills.

"What are all the enchantments on the armor?" Lilliana asked Tonilia.

"The boots improve your ability to pick a pocket, the cuirass gives you more strength, the gloves improve your lockpicking, and the hood gives you a sharper tongue. Besides sneak, the armor improves your thieving skills."

"Thanks," Lilliana said and walked back into the Cistern.

"Hey, lass," Brynjolf called out to her.

"Hmm?"

"I forgot to tell you. The secret exit is over there." Brynjolf pointed towards a ladder in another alcove.

"Thanks." Lilliana smiled.

"Be careful out there, lass."

"Don't worry. I will."

**oOo**

Goldenglow Estate was a bee farm west of Riften, occupying the group of islands in the center of Lake Honrich. To Lilliana, the place was its own town, having its own docks, sewer systems, and guards. She knew she would have to tread lightly.

Lilliana strode along the shores of the lake, thinking of a plan.

"If I swam over there now, they'd surely see me coming. I'll wait until night, when it's dark and the guards are half-asleep . . ." Lilliana said to herself. "Didn't Tonilia say this armor was waterproof?"

To test her theory, Lilliana stuck her foot into the water. Not one drop was felt on her skin.

"I know what I should do now . . ." Lilliana grabbed her pack and took out the bottles of waterproofing potions she had bought at Riften's alchemy shop, Elgrim's Elixirs, along with a needle and spool of sinew she kept for armor repairs.

In her spot under a birch tree, Lilliana got to work. She sewed the tops of her boots to her pants, and coated the seams with the waterproofing potion. She did the same with her jerkin and pants, her hood and her collar, and her sleeves and gloves. _This was actually easier than I thought it would be. _Lilliana thought as she examined her work. Now all she had to do was wait for it to dry.

As she waited for the water-proofing to dry, Lilliana observed Goldenglow. From where she was sitting, she could see beehives on the edge of the island, and a bit of the estate itself. As Lilliana looked at the beehives, she got an idea. _The beehives are on that side. I can swim up, light them on fire from the water, then swim over to the other side of the island and get into the estate from the sewers without those mercenaries even getting a glimpse of me! _

**oOo**

As soon as the guards changed positions for the night shift, Lilliana set out. She had water-proofed her pack, too, so she dove into the water with no second thought. She concentrated on a fire spell, and shot fire at three beehives from the shore, attracting the guards. She figured out too late that the guards could see her, letting two arrows pierce her chest and shoulder.

Then, the chaos started.

**oOo**

**All right, guys! I'm back! (And so is Lilliana.) I bet some of you are wondering "When do we get to see Oliver again?" Well, he will be in the next chapter. Again, if you haven't read the prequel to this story, Fury of a Wolf and Temper of a Dragon, I really recommend you do so. Otherwise, some references in this story might confuse you. To people who have read that, and are going to read the sequel as well, welcome back. Glad to see you again. Make sure to fav/follow this story so that you know when chapters are posted and that I know I have your support! Just so you know, you can PM me with questions, and review this story as well! But please no negative comments; I have enough self-esteem issues as it is. Constructive criticism is fine, though. Basically, I like reviews, too. **

**-Rayne :) (By the way, if you're wondering if my name really is Rayne, it's not. Rayne is my Skyrim name. She is the main character in one of my other stories, Rayne the Listener, and a major character in TriP25's "The Elder Scrolls V-Skyrim-Endure". Check those out, too!)**


	2. Torture

It was torture. Absolute torture. There was no longer good in life. Oliver had driven the woman he loved away, and he couldn't, and wouldn't, forgive himself for it. He kept thinking about when she left, a week ago, and couldn't seem to think about anything else.

**oOo**

**_1 Week Ago . . . _**

_Oliver watched silently as Lilliana stormed back into Jorrvaskr. The beast inside him was roaring in anger, and he threatened to transform right then and there. _No. _He told himself. He couldn't change in Whiterun._

_He didn't know what to do. Lilliana had asked him "Was it Oliver kissing me, or the beast?" It was a good question, really, for Oliver didn't know the answer himself. _Give her some time to calm down, then we can work it out. _He thought. _

_In truth, it was both Oliver and the beast kissing Lilliana. As a man, Oliver was drawn to Lilliana like a moth was drawn to light. He couldn't find one thing bad about her. He thought all her flaws just made her more human. No one could be perfect. The beast, though, was drawn to Lilliana as well. It wanted her as its mate, and urged Oliver to bed her almost every time he laid eyes on her. Vilkas had told him that Oliver's scent had changed whenever he looked at Lilliana, and it meant that his beast wanted her. _

_Oliver sat on the porch in the darkness, sipping on a bottle of mead, and thinking about what he would say to Lilliana when he talked to her._

_"__I'm sorry, Lilly, it's just- No, that sounds stupid," he ranted. He kept thinking that he wanted to explain how he felt. He just didn't know how. Oliver decided to just go down to Lilliana's room and talk to her. _

_Oliver knocked on Lilliana's door and waited. Silence. All there was, was silence. _

_"__Lilliana?" Oliver grabbed the handle of the door and pushed it open._

_She wasn't there. Her weapons were gone. Her chests were empty. Her alchemy ingredients were gone._

_Lilliana had left._

_"__Aela! Have you seen Lilliana?" Oliver yelled and pounded on Aela's door._

_"__No. I thought she-" Aela began and opened her door. She stopped talking when she stepped on a piece of paper. The Huntress picked it up and read it, her face slowly gaining an expression of shock. "She left. You must have messed up big time."_

_"__What did the note say?" Oliver demanded._

_"_'Aela, I can't be here right now. You know my past, how those bandits used me. Oliver's beast tried to use me, too. I don't want to be used anymore, so I fled. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I can't face Oliver right now. I'm sorry. Signed, Lilliana'" _Aela read._

_"__I have to find her!" Oliver bellowed._

_"__Didn't you hear what she said? She doesn't want to see you! Give her some time. She'll be back soon," Aela assured._

_"__All right . . ."_

**oOo**

It had been a week. Lilliana wasn't back. Aela kept telling Oliver that one week wasn't enough, but he almost couldn't stand it anymore.

He was sitting in the Harbinger's room at his desk. Before him was a map of Skyrim. So far, Oliver only knew of only one place Lilliana would have most likely gone: Riften. She had always had excellent thieving skills. She grew up in Riften, and was taught by a member of the Thieves Guild. It only made sense that Lilliana would go to Riften and join them.

Sadly, Riften was the only clue Oliver had.

"Oliver?" asked an unknown voice from the other side of Oliver's door.

"What?" Oliver spat. Lately, Oliver had been very uptight since Lilliana left. His beast was mad at him, and so was his heart. He had chosen to seclude himself from everyone else, except for Aela, who provided insight about the mind of a woman. Oliver ate dinner in his room by himself. Aela was his only connection to the rest of the Companions.

"Tilma made horker stew. Everyone wants you to come eat with us," said the voice. It was Vilkas.

"No," Oliver replied coldly.

"C'mon, Oliver! She'll come back! What would she think if she saw you like this? She'd want you to just let her be by herself for a while and to not worry about her," Vilkas argued.

Oliver stood up and opened the door. Now face-to-face with Vilkas, Oliver spoke. "What if she gets hurt?"

"Even if she does, she can handle herself! You and I both know she won't go easily," Vilkas said.

"Don't say that!" Oliver snapped.

"Man up, Oliver! Quit worrying about her so much. Just come eat with us so the others know you're at least alive," Vilkas said, a hint of humor in his voice. Oliver had never seen Vilkas use humor before, but it didn't make Oliver smile, it only made him scowl harder.

"Fine." Oliver sighed and followed Vilkas to the main hall. Everyone was already there, taking and eating.

"So Oliver's not dead!" Athis exclaimed, making everyone else look up. Some had smiles on their faces, but others had looks of worry. All knew about the situation with Lilliana, and how Oliver felt about it. He walked over and took his seat at the table.

Aela, who was sitting to his left, looked at him.

"You must be feeling a little better if Vilkas was able to get you up here," she observed.

Oliver was silent for a moment. "I'm going to look for her."

"Skyrim's a big place, Oliver. She could have gone anywhere. I say you let her come back when she's ready. She _will _be back, Oliver. Lilly doesn't want to be found. Let her hide. It's what she wants to do," Aela advised him.

"I'll give her one more week, and if she's not back yet, I'm going after her."

"All right. Guess I can't stop you."

**oOo**

Oliver's beast was screaming at him. He had not transformed in a couple weeks. He sighed in defeat, and walked to the Underforge.

It was dark outside. The moons were high in the sky, calling the beast inside Oliver out. He entered the Underforge and began peeling his armor off. Completely naked, Oliver let the beast take over him. He fell to the floor, fur sprouting over his body. His teeth turned to canine teeth, and his fingernails turned to claws.

Now covered in dark brown fur, Oliver ran out to the plains of Whiterun. The scent of deer was in the air. Now was the time to hunt.

**oOo**

They saw her. Arrows flew in Lilliana's direction. She already had one in her chest and one in her shoulder. Diving under the water, Lilliana swam to the other side of the island, where the entrance to the sewers were, and lost the guards. While they searched for her, she slipped into the sewers.

Slumping down onto the floor, Lilliana broke the shafts of the arrows off, and began to cut the seams that bound her jerkin to her pants and gloves to her sleeves. Carefully, with a few winces of pain, she peeled her jerkin off. Blood was running down her chest. Luckily, the arrows didn't go too deep, and Lilliana was sure she could get them out without too much pain.

She had never been more wrong in her life.

Lilliana yanked the arrow out of the right shoulder. A wave of blood gushed out, sending a wave of pain through her body.

"Ow!" Lilliana cried. She did her best to summon a healing spell and heal her shoulder. She was able to stop most of the bleeding, and close most of the wound. The bad thing was, if she tried to pull her bowstring back, it would surely reopen. She would have to rely on her dagger. Lilliana yanked the arrow out of her chest as well, making another wave of blood pour out. Wincing, Lilliana healed it as well.

She slowly wrapped bandages around her wounds. Digging through her pack, Lilliana found a healing potion. Uncorking it, she drank it in three swallows. She felt her wounds healing a bit more, but she knew she would still not be able to shoot a bow.

Lilliana rummaged through her pack once more and found her needle and thread. The arrows made holes in her armor, and she planned to fix them. She quickly repaired her armor and put it back on. She was sore, but still able to swing her new elven dagger she bought, so she moved on.

Creeping down the hall, Lilliana sighted two skeevers up ahead, and froze. Close combat would be a bad idea. Skeevers carried disease, and Lilliana did _not _want to get sick.

Then, an idea popped into her head. Dagger in her right hand, Lilliana summoned a flame spell in her left. Her spell was weak, but it worked. The spray of flame killed the skeevers. Lilliana crept further, shooting more fire at the skeevers, and lighting a corridor full of oil up as well. She had not one skeever bite on her by the time she reached the other end of the sewers.

After she climbed the latter, Lilliana emerged right by the door to the estate. Luckily, the guards were not around this area, so she could easily slip in.

Or so she thought.

Lilliana tugged at the door handle, but it was locked. Thinking she could easily pick it, she took out a few picks, and began working on the lock. This one seemed to be particularly stubborn, though, and Lilliana wasn't able to turn it even halfway before her pick broke.

Grunting in frustration as her fifth pick broke, Lilliana grabbed another pick from the ground and began to turn the lock as slowly as she could. This time she got further, and began to feel hope again. She moved her new pick slightly to the left of where she had it before, and began to turn the lock until she heard the usual click of the tumblers falling into place.

Lilliana snuck through the halls of Goldenglow, slipping past as many guards as she could, and slitting the throats of the ones that saw her, until she found some stairs that led to the second floor. Slicing the neck of a guard sitting by a door, she snuck through to Aringoth's room. The Bosmer was cowering in the corner of his room behind a bookcase.

"Give me the key to your safe, Aringoth," Lilliana told him.

"I'll never give it to you!" Aringoth countered.

"Then I'll just take it off your corpse," Lilliana sneered and grabbed the man's head and tilted it back, then slit his throat. He died with a gurgling noise. "That was easy," she muttered as she plucked the key from Aringoth's pocket. Looking around the room some more, she found a bee statue.

"I like this," Lilliana mumbled and picked it up.

She crept down the stairs and entered the basement, looking for the safe. She snuck past two guards, but came upon one deeper into the basement she couldn't sneak by. There was oil on the floor, so Lilliana lit it as she did with the oil in the sewers. The guard shot up and ran towards Lilliana, but was burned by the fire, and eventually died.

Smirking at the man's stupidness, Lilliana snuck down some stairs and found the safe. Beside it was a table with two coinpurses, and a chest. She walked over to the table and took the coinpurses, and estimated that there was around fifty septims in her hand. Taking the key she found, she unlocked the safe. Inside were two gigantic coinpurses, and a piece of parchment. Lilliana opened it and read it. It was a letter, but what stood out was a strange symbol on the top of the page.

"Aringoth sold Goldenglow?" Lilliana quietly asked herself. She pocketed the paper and turned to the chest, which was locked. She took some lockpicks and unlocked it with ease. Inside was a couple of gems and two enchanted necklaces. Smiling about her finds, Lilliana walked over to the other side of the room, and went down a ladder to the sewers.

Once she was outside, she dove into the water once more, not caring about the water seeping into her armor. As long as her pack stayed waterproof, everything would be okay. When Lilliana reached the shore by the back gate to Riften, she shook some of the water out of her boots and entered the city.

It was almost morning. Lilliana had stayed up all night, killing guards, and desperately needed sleep. She made her way to the graveyard and to the secret entrance to the Cistern. Ignoring the latter, Lilliana jumped down the hole to the Cistern and found Brynjolf standing in the middle of the room.

"No offense, lass, but you look awful," he said as she walked up.

"I know. Those guards were bitches-" Lilliana started.

"Don't you mean bastards _and _bitches?" Brynjolf asked smugly.

"You know I don't care! Anyway, I got an arrow in my shoulder and one in my chest and couldn't shoot my bow without reopening them and had to go through there armed with just my dagger and sneaking skills!"

"Wow. Most wouldn't be able to do that. You have certainly proven to be a valuable asset to the Guild, lass. What'd you find in Goldenglow?"

"Apparently, Aringoth sold Goldenglow. Look at this." Lilliana handed Brynjolf the paper she found in Aringoth's safe.

"Mercer will need to see this. While he does that, you get some sleep. Here's your pay," Brynjolf said and handed Lilliana a coinpurse.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that."

**oOo**

"Hey, lass. Wake up."

Lilliana awoke to Brynjolf shaking her shoulder.

"What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"Twelve o'clock. Someone important wants to see you."

"Who?"

"Maven Black-Briar. She asked for you by name."

"I thought I did the job like you asked?"

"No, nothing like that. I'm not sure what she wants, but whatever it is, it's important. She's in the Bee and Barb, upstairs."

"Just let me get dressed and I'll go see her," Lilliana said, stood up, and grabbed her clothes.

After she had gotten dressed, she emerged from the sewers to Riften's streets. Making her way to the Bee and Barb, Lilliana wiped the sleep out of her eyes. She entered the tavern and made her way upstairs. In an alcove off to the side sat Maven Black-Briar, the most powerful person in Riften, possibly more powerful than the Jarl.

"So you're who Mercer sent to Goldenglow. Doesn't look like much to me," Maven started.

"Is that why you wanted me here?"

"No. I wanted you here so you could get my orders. I need you to go to Whiterun and to their inn, the Bannered Mare. Find Mallus Maccius. Tell him I sent you. He'll explain the rest."

"I-" Lilliana started.

"Get to Whiterun, find Mallus. _Now_," Maven sneered.

"Okay . . ." Lilliana said and left. _I can't go to Whiterun! That's where Oliver is! What if he sees me? Or worse, what if he talks to me? He'll try to get me to come back! I can't! What if he smells me, or something, because of his werewolf senses? Maybe Brynjolf can send someone else to do the job. _Lilliana thought as she walked back to the Cistern.

"Brynjolf, I have a problem," she said as she neared Brynjolf.

"What is it, lass?"

"Maven is sending me to talk to someone in Whiterun! What if Oliver sees me?"

"I think I know someone who can help you with that." Brynjolf smiled and led her to the Ragged Flagon. They approached a robed woman sitting on a bench in the wooden deck area of the Flagon.

"Who is she?" Lilliana asked Brynjolf.

"My name is Galathil. I am one of the few that has mastered the art of face-sculpting. Do you require my services?" asked the Bosmer.

"You can chance my face?" Lilliana asked tentatively.

"Yes. The spell only lasts for a few days, though."

"Can you make it last five days?"

"Yes. That'd be easy. Now, do you require my services or not?"

"How much do you charge?"

"One thousand septims."

"You have a deal. Let me get the money." Lilliana smiled and walked back into the Cistern, Brynjolf trailing behind her. "Thanks for showing her to me," she said to Brynjolf as she grabbed the coins from her chest.

"No problem, lass," Brynjolf said and walked back over to Mercer's desk. Lilliana walked back into the Flagon, coins in hand. Galathil looked up as Lilliana approached, and a smile appeared on the Bosmer's face.

"Let's get to work," she said and rolled up her sleeves.

**oOo**

**All right, guys, I bet you're wondering what's going to happen when Lilliana goes to Whiterun!**

**I bet you're also wondering what Oliver's next move will be!**

**I want to know what you people think! **

**I WANT THE OPINIONS OF THE PEOPLE, DAMMIT.**

**REVIEW.**

**NOW.**

**DO IT NOW.**

**PLEASE.**

**I BEG OF YOU.**

**Why am I even asking? No one ever reads these things! **

**Well, uh, remember to follow this! The next chapter will be up soon, I promise!**

**-Rayne**


	3. Close Encounters of the Bad Kind

**HAHAHAHAHAHA See what I did with the chapter name? There's a (older) movie called "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and I love it. Couldn't resist. **

**No, it's not stupid.**

**oOo**

Oliver was sitting on the porch of the training yard, watching the whelps train and doing paperwork.

"Belethor was kidnapped? Man, I hate that guy!" he mumbled and put the paper aside. He would have to make sure to give the job to someone as soon as possible. Just then, Athis walked by.

"Torvar, for the last time, I prefer swords!" Athis shouted at the drunk Nord following him.

"I thought you said you prefer axes . . ." Torvar slurred.

"No, that was _you _that said that, you drunken slob!"

"Cut it out, guys!" Oliver scolded, "Athis, I have an important job for you. Belethor was kidnapped and taken to Broken Fang Cave, near Rorikstead. You need to go get him back. You're up against vampires, too, so tread lightly. Failure is not an option."

"I'll get right on it," the Dunmer assured and took the parchment handed to him.

"Now, Torvar, quit drinking all our mead and start training! Your archery needs work," Oliver harshly said to the swaying man in front of him. Torvar mumbled something about "aiming taking too long" and trudged away.

"I'm glad to see you're finally taking up your role as Harbinger," Aela said from behind as she approached.

"It's something to keep my mind on, so it doesn't bother me. Here are some of the easier jobs. Give some to Farkas, too. I just sent Athis to rescue Belethor from some vampires," Oliver told her and handed her a stack of papers.

"How do you think that idiot got himself captured by vampires?"

"Who knows? Maybe he thought they looked like they needed something and tried to sell them something."

"That sounds like him. Sleazy little man . . ." Aela mumbled.

"Have you seen Vilkas?"

"He left for the market just a few minutes ago. Why?"

"I need to give him these jobs before I forget."

"Best be off, then," Aela said and waved Oliver off half-heartedly. He stood from his seat and started to make his way to the marketplace. He saw Vilkas chatting with Ysolda, who looked like she was very _interested _in Vilkas. Oliver chuckled and approached his fellow Companion.

"Hey, Vilkas, here are some of the more advanced-" Oliver started.

"What is it?" Vilkas asked, noticing that Oliver had stopped mid-sentence.

Oliver pulled Vilkas away from the crowd and spoke low. "I smell Lilliana nearby."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, and it's getting closer, like she's here."

"I don't see her. Are you sure your nose isn't just playing a trick on you, making you smell what you want to smell?"

"No, I'm sure!" Oliver said, voice becoming more frantic. His eyes scanned the crowd and landed on a girl he had never seen before. She was wearing a suit of leather armor with many buckles and belts. She donned a hood, concealing her face. Oliver could barely see a-

A _black _lock of hair peeking out? The smell of Lilliana was coming right from that girl! It had to be her! Oliver broke away from Vilkas, thrusting the papers into his hands as he did so.

Oliver made his way to the girl, who desperately seemed to be trying to hide her face.

"Excuse me," Oliver said, not sure if the person was Lilliana or not.

"I'm sorry, I really don't have time to talk. I'm very busy," the woman said.

Her voice sounded _just like _Lilliana's!

"Busy with Thieves Guild business, _Lilliana_?"

"Thieves Guild? You really think I would be one of those petty pickpockets? And my name is Hazel!"

"Are you sure?"

"No, I have no idea who I am! Yes, I'm sure!" she spat and turned to walk in the inn.

"I don't think that was her. . ." Vilkas said from behind.

"I _know _it was her. She's just changed her face somehow. It was her."

**oOo**

Lilliana trudged to the Honningbrew Meadery in the pouring rain. _That was a close call with Oliver. He knew it was me! I'm glad I know how to lie. . . _

Mallus wanted Lilliana to "help" the owner of the Honningbrew Meadery, Sabjorn, with the pest problem they had. The thing was, she would also poison the mead so Sabjorn would be taken to jail for trying to poison the Capitan of the Whiterun guard. After Sabjorn was out of the picture, Mallus would take over the Honningbrew Meadery and start brewing Black-Briar Mead. Thus, making the Honningbrew Meadery the Black-Briar Meadery West. Apparently, Maven and Mallus had been coming up with the plan for weeks, and Mallus seemed more than happy that Maven had finally sent someone to do the dirty work for them.

Lilliana was happy to oblige.

As soon as Lilliana walked in, she saw a dead, bloody skeever on the floor in front of a man that must have been Sabjorn.

"What now? Can't you see that I have a problem to deal with here?" he hissed.

"You look like you could use a hand," Lilliana said innocently.

"Oh, so you're just going to wonder in here and lend me a helping hand? I don't suppose you'll let me pay you afterwards?"

"Pay now or I yell 'skeever'!" Lilliana sneered, suddenly becoming much more intimidating.

"Okay, okay, here's _half. _You'll get the rest when the job is done," Sabjorn said.

"Where are the skeevers?"

"In the caves in the basement. Those pests made tunnels connecting the brewhouse and the Meadery. There's some spiders down there, too."

"I can handle that," Lilliana told him and began to walk to the door to the basement. Using the key Sabjorn gave her, she unlocked the door and entered, taking her bow out in the action. Once she closed the door, she positioned herself into a stealthy crouch, and readied an arrow to be shot.

A skeever ran through the door on the other side of the room, but was killed by a trap. Another followed, but did not run into a trap. Lilliana released her arrow; it flew into its eye, killing it. She crept deeper into the tunnels. Soon, she found more skeevers. This time, though, they were accompanied by frostbite spiders.

"Dammit!" Lilliana cursed. She was beginning to get a bit overwhelmed. A skeever had already bitten her arm where the glove met her sleeve, poisoning her. Unfortunately, she was too busy fighting to stop and take a "cure poison" potion.

All of the skeevers were dead, but three frostbite spiders remained. Their venom covered Lilliana's face when she was caught off-guard, making her screech in pain. The poison was making her head spin, and she had already begun to feel light-headed. She grabbed an arrow from her quiver, but not bothering to shoot it, and shoved it into one of the eyes of the remaining frostbite spider.

Lilliana collapsed onto the ground. Her head was swimming, and she almost didn't have sense enough to dig a "cure poison" potion out of her bag and drink it. Almost immediately, she felt the effects of her potion. Her head began to clear up, and the nausea that plagued her slowly dissolved into nothingness. Her face was now swollen to two times its size.

Her head may not have hurt anymore, but her face sure did. Lilliana held up a weakly glowing hand to her face, bringing the swelling down a bit. It was then she noticed that the spell Galathil had cast on her had worn off. Lilliana hoped that when she walked into the meadery, the spell had worn off and Sabjorn would not be confused as to why another woman was completing the job. As soon as she got the swelling down to manageable, Lilliana downed a healing potion and began to continue on.

Soon enough, she encountered more spiders and skeever, this time somewhat less, but there was one major problem making up for the lack of disease-carrying-vermin.

A lunatic was running amuck in the caverns.

Lilliana had to say, this lunatic was very skilled with magic, almost bringing her down a couple of times. Luckily, Lilliana had the upper hand: the small throwing daggers she kept strapped to her chest.

Thieves have to have unique fighting styles. Throwing daggers is one of them. A sword attracts attention, and sometimes there isn't enough room to draw a bowstring back. These daggers were small, compact, and easy to hide under a dress.

Perfect for assassinations, too.

Rune, a fellow member of the Thieves Guild, was a very skilled knife-thrower. He had taught Lilliana to throw a dagger into the eye of her target. This time, it was an actual moving target, making this both easier, and harder. Lilliana could easily predict where the man would swerve to avoid the incoming spray of fire from Lilliana's hand, and could just as easily throw the dagger to that place, killing the man.

The downside was that, sometimes, the lunatic would sick one of his skeevers on Lilliana, distracting her. Luckily, she was able to weaken the man quickly, with him being so out of shape. Once he fell, Lilliana turned just in time for a frostbite spider to jump on her face.

"Ahh!" Lilliana screamed. The spider bared its fangs, and snapped at her cheek. She felt a strip of her skin being torn off, and warm blood gush down her face. Lilliana grabbed the hilt of her dagger from her hip and stabbed the spider from behind. It hissed and fell from her face. Not bothering to pick up her dagger or bow, she clutched her face, calling forth her weak healing magic to close the wound. Because she was overwhelmed with shock over what just happened, she could not heal herself fully.

Luckily, Lilliana was at the end of the caverns. The skeevers' nest was nearby, right by an alchemy station, ready for poisoning. She stumbled over to the nest and poured half of the poison on it, saving the rest for the mead. As soon as the nest was properly poisoned, Lilliana took the valuables of a nearby chest and exited the caverns.

She was now in the boiler room of the meadery. She found the brew vat labeled "Honningbrew Reserve" and dumped the poison in. Fortunately, Mallus had told Lilliana that Sabjorn was serving something called "Honningbrew Reserve" to the commander of the guard. Otherwise, the blonde thief would have had no idea of which vat to poison. After she had emptied the contents of the poison bottle into the vat, Lilliana exited the meadery after finding a key to the brewhouse.

"I'll have to use this for free mead . . ." Lilliana mumbled as she pocketed the key and walked back to the main building of the meadery. Inside, the commander was already there, waiting to taste the mead.

"It's about time you got finished! I had to stall the commander until you got done!" Sabjorn hissed.

"Well, now I'm done. I'll take my pay now," Lilliana countered.

"You'll just have to wait until the tasting ceremony is done," Sabjorn said and approached Commander Caius.

"All right, Sabjorn. I've waited long enough! It's time I taste this mead," said the Commander with an irritated tone.

"My apologies, Commander. This is my best brew. I call it 'Honningbrew Reserve'. I hope it is pleasing to your palette."

_What a kiss-up! _Lilliana thought.

"Come now, Sabjorn. This is mead, not some wine to be sipped and savored!" Caius said and filled his goblet from the barrel of mead in front of him. His face immediately soured when he took a sip of the mead.

"Y-you! What is this? What have you done?" Caius stuttered.

"Please, I don't understand!" Sabjorn stuttered in return.

"I should have known better than to trust this place after it's been riddled with filth! You'll be looking at iron bars for the rest of your days!" Caius roared.

"No, you don't understand!" Sabjorn pleaded.

Caius then unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Sabjorn. "Move!"

"All right, all right." Sabjorn sighed in defeat and followed the commander outside.

Mallus emerged from the shadows of the room, smiling.

"I don't think that could have gone any better. Good job."

"Thanks. I need to get a look at Sabjorn's books. Maven wants to know the deals he made."

"Here. This key should help. He keeps his papers stashed in his desk." Mallus handed her a key.

"I'll be back." Lilliana entered Sabjorn's room and sought out his desk. Inside was a note.

_Sabjorn,_

_Within the enclosed crate, you'll find the final payment. As we discussed, Honningbrew Meadery should now begin brewing mead at full production. In regards to your concerns about interference from Maven Black-Briar, I assure you that I'll do everything in my power to keep her assets and her cronies at bay. This is the beginning of a long and successful future for both of us._

On the top of the page, was the same symbol that was on the deed from Goldenglow.

That meant that the same person that bought Goldenglow, arranged this, too.

Something was up.

And it wasn't good.

**oOo**

"I trust you have good news for me?" Maven asked when she saw Lilliana enter the inn.

"The plan worked. Sabjorn is now in the Dragonsreach Dungeons. Mallus is in charge. Although, it looks like Sabjorn had a partner. You should look at this." Lilliana handed Maven the note.

"What's this? You should take this to Mercer immediately. I need to know who this is and _take them out_," Maven snarled.

"Payment . . .?"

"Here. I think you'll find this more than adequate for your services," Maven said and handed Lilliana an enchanted elven dagger.

"Thanks." Lilliana took the dagger and walked to the door.

The streets of Riften were vacant. A crowd was gathered around the Honorhall Orphanage, though. The lady that owned it, Grelod the Kind, was murdered a couple days ago, and the guards were investigating. From her childhood, Lilliana knew Grelod the Kind was _not _kind at all. She often beat the children, and they _never _got adopted. Never. Lilliana was glad she was dead.

She moved to the entrance to the Cistern. Inside, some thieves were asleep. Lilliana glanced around, looking for Brynjolf. She noticed Sapphire was digging around in her chest.

"Hey, Sapphire, where's Bryn?" Lilliana asked.

"In the training room," she muttered in response.

"Thanks," Lilliana said and began to walk to the training room. Brynjolf was standing in a corner of the room, placing a dagger on a weapon rack.

"Ah, lass, you're back. How did the job go?" he asked.

"I saw Oliver, and almost got discovered, but luckily, Galathil's disguise saved me. I did what Maven asked, and found this note at Honningbrew. Apparently, the same person that bought Goldenglow was Sabjorn's partner in putting Maven out of business."

Brynjolf took the note Lilliana handed him and read it.

"I'll take this to Mercer. You should get some jobs from Vex and Delvin while he's trying to figure this out."

"All right," Lilliana said and left the room.

She placed the dagger in her chest, and made sure to sell it later. Along with the other loot she collected from Honningbrew, one side of her chest was filled with things she could sell. Lilliana placed her pack by her bed and closed the lid of her chest. After she had organized her things, she stood and started to walk to the Flagon.

Delvin and Vex were in their usual spots.

"Hey, Delvin, got any jobs for me?" Lilliana asked.

"Ah, that I do. Which kind do ya want?"

"Fishing."

"All right. I have one of those. In Dawnstar. The blacksmith there, Rustleif, has an emerald, and we want it. He keeps it on 'im at all times."

"All right. Consider it done." Lilliana grinned and walked over to Vex.

"You want a job from me, too, eh? Which kind?" she asked.

"I don't care."

"All right. The client has been bugging me about getting this done. The Gray-Manes in Whiterun have a golden urn and we want it. Go get it," Vex ordered.

"Fine." Lilliana sighed. She didn't like the thought of going back to Whiterun, but none of the Companions ever went to the Gray-Mane house, so she agreed.

She would just have to tread lightly.

**oOo**

**Hi! I hope you people are liking this. Don't worry. Things start to get more interesting in the next chapter. And what do you guys think of that encounter between Oliver and Lilliana? It made tension. I like that. Remember to review!**

**-Rayne**


	4. Lilliana the Kindly Stranger

Lilliana was walking down the road. She had just passed the Nightgate Inn on her way to Dawnstar. She trudged along the road, looking at the snowy trees as she mumbled to herself.

"I wonder what Oliver would think if he saw me like this. Wait, no! I don't care what he thinks!" she argued with herself. She was currently trying to convince herself to think that she _didn't _miss Oliver, but it wasn't working very well. Of course, she wasn't _dying _to see him, but it wouldn't hurt. She wasn't sure what she was feeling at the moment.

She was still deep in her thoughts when she entered Dawnstar. She had never been to the city before, but didn't decide to look around. Lilliana sought out the blacksmith's shop and found Rustleif, who was working at the armor workbench. His wife was nowhere to be seen. Lilliana was approaching when Rustleif turned around.

"Oh, a customer!" Rustleif exclaimed.

"Oh, yes, hello!" Lilliana said with a smile, quickly making a plan in her head. "I'm a traveler, and I'm looking for a warhammer for my father."

"Oh, those are inside. Come with me," Rustleif said and led Lilliana to the inside of his house. His wife, Seren, was sitting on their bed, reading a book.

"A customer?" she asked.

"Aye, looking for a warhammer," Rustleif confirmed.

"You want me to go get the one you finished yesterday, the steel one?"

"Aye." Seren then closed her book and stood. She entered the cellar. This was Lilliana's chance! She inched her hand to Rustleif's pocket. "What are you doing?" Rustleif asked. Lilliana knew she was about to be discovered, and whipped out her dagger.

She reached up and covered his mouth. In the heat of the moment, she did the only thing she knew to do. She slid her dagger across Rustleif's throat, her hand muffling his screams. Blood ran over her left hand, giving her a strange excitement. She had never felt this way before. She had never _murdered _anyone before. She felt a strange bloodlust for what she just did.

Lilliana _couldn't _let his wife see this. Could she?

She snuck down to the cellar, where she found Seren looking at a few steel warhammers. Lilliana crept over to her and clasped her hand over the Redguard's mouth. She struggled in protest. Lilliana shoved her dagger deep into her neck. Blood poured out onto Lilliana's hand and wrist.

She loved it.

**oOo**

Lilliana walked the road south out of Dawnstar, muttering under her breath about how she was sure to get an earful from Delvin about killing her mark. She _had _gotten the emerald, but that _still _wouldn't make it okay to murder her mark.

She was very pissed at her failure.

She didn't even notice she was nearing a farm until it was too late. Lilliana was ripped from her thoughts when she walked right into a man standing on the side of the road.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I- I was lost in my thoughts . . ." Lilliana said.

"Oh! Oh, that's quite all right! Cicero was lost in his thoughts as well!" said a very high-pitched voice. Lilliana looked up to she just _who _could have talked like that. _Who talks in third person, besides the Khajiit? _Lilliana thought.

There stood a _jester. _

"A . . . jester . . .?" Lilliana asked.

"Well, what else would Cicero be? An assassin from the Dark Brotherhood? Ha ha! No, no, certainly not! Cicero is just . . . Cicero!" Cicero rambled.

Lilliana chuckled at Cicero's rambling. "What's a jester doing in Skyrim? I thought only the counts and countesses in Cyrodiil had jesters in their courts."

"Oh, Cicero was transporting his dear, _sweet _mother! Well, not her, her corpse. She's quite dead!" Cicero laughed, "Cicero was taking his mother to a new home, a new crypt, but- Ah, wagon wheel! Damndest wagon wheel! It broke, can't you see?"

"Why don't you just ask the farmer up there for help?"

"Cicero did! The farmer refuses to help!"

"Maybe I can convince him."

"Oh, stranger! Thank you! Talk to Loreius, up there, at his farm! Convince him to help me!"

"I'll be right back," Lilliana said and began to walk up to the farm. Loreius and his Altmer wife were working on harvesting their crops. Skyrim's cold and harsh winter was coming up, and most farms were working on harvesting their crops that don't do well in the cold.

"Oh, for the love of Mara. What now?" Loreius snapped when he saw Lilliana approach.

The Altmer woman scowled at Loreius. "Be nice," she commanded.

"The man with the wagon down there, Cicero, he really needs your help fixing his wheel," Lilliana said.

"Oh, that fellow. The fool's already asked me about five times! Why can't he just leave us alone?" Loreius ranted.

"C'mon. He needs help, and he'll only leave if you fix his wheel."

"You kidding? He could be carrying anything in that crate! War contraband, weapons, skooma! Ain't no way I'm gettin' involved in that."

"He's a stranger in need. Help him."

"Vantus, it's really unneighborly to turn him away," pleaded his Altmer wife.

"Oh, all right. Tell Cicero I'll be down in a minute. Just let me get my tools," Loreius said.

"Great." Lilliana said with a smile. She turned and walked back down to the road where Cicero was. He seemed to be _talking _to the crate he was transporting.

"Poor Mother . . . Her new home seems so _very _far away!"

"I'm back," Lilliana said. Cicero perked up.

"Has Loreius agreed to fix my wheel? Oh, please say yes!" Cicero asked.

"He has. He'll be down any minute."

"Oh, stranger! The kindly stranger has made Cicero so happy! So jubilant and ecstatic! Filled with glee! Here, for your trouble. Shiny, klinky, gold!" Cicero exclaimed and thrusted _gigantic _coinpurse into Lilliana's hands.

"Oh, I really don't need this," Lilliana argued.

"Take it, take it! Cicero has plenty more where that came from!" Cicero said with a smile.

That was the first moment Lilliana smiled and _meant _it since she left the Companions.

"Oh, such a pretty smile!"

"Oh, thanks!"

Then, Loreius came trudging down the hill.

"Let's get started on that wheel," he said.

"I'll help," Lilliana offered.

"Oh, no. I can't make a woman help with work like this," Loreius insisted.

"Let me help," Lilliana snarled. _He has no idea what I'm capable of! _

"All right, fine."

Together, Lilliana, Loreius, and Cicero repaired the wagon. It turns out, Lilliana was of good use. While Cicero and Loreius held up the wagon, Lilliana put the wheel on. _Looks like they couldn't have done it without me! _

"I didn't expect a jester to be _that _strong," Lilliana said to Cicero as Loreius was finishing the job.

"And Cicero did not expect for the kindly stranger to offer her help once more, nor did he expect that she was able to fix a wagon."

"I'm tougher than I look, you know."

"Oh, Cicero knows! Cicero is tougher than _he _looks, too!" Cicero backed-up his story by flexing his muscles (that Lilliana couldn't see under his jester's motely. She just assumed they were there.) with the funniest grin on his face. Both began to laugh hysterically, earning a glare from Loreius.

"Job's done," Loreius said and stood up, wiping his hands on a cloth.

"Oh, thank you, _thank you_!" Cicero said and handed a coinpurse, just as fat as the one he gave to Lilliana, to Loreius.

"No problem," Loreius said.

_Sure was a problem getting you to help in the first place. _Lilliana thought.

"Well, I'd better get going now. Maybe I'll see you again sometime," Lilliana said to Cicero once Loreius was out of earshot.

_"__Soon, my Listener. We will meet again very soon." _

"Oh, most cert-" Cicero began.

"Wait, did you hear that?" Lilliana asked.

"Hear what?" Cicero asked, a strange, but hopeful look on his face.

"No, I guess not . . ."

"Oh . . ." Cicero said, now sad, "It was a pleasure meeting you,-"

"My name's Lilliana."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Lilliana the Kindly Stranger."

**oOo**

Aela was sitting in the main hall of Jorrvaskr, eating her supper. Oliver was beside her, eating as well. Farkas was on his way to Dawnstar to kill a wolf inside someone's house. Ria was gone to the Rift along with Njada, taking care of a bandit den.

Ever since Lilliana left, their mead hall hadn't been as lively. Sure, Njada and Athis still fought, but it seemed Lilliana had brought an aura of, just, _goodness _with her. Wherever she went, she seemed to make people smile. Aela wondered if what Oliver said about her and the Thieves Guild was true. Could a thief really walk into a room and make everyone in it smile? Maybe that's just how thieves were.

It was fairly late in Whiterun. The sun was down, and the stores were closed up. The Bannered Mare, however, was as busy as ever.

"Hey, Oliver, you want to come to the Mare with me for a drink?" Aela asked.

"No. I have paperwork to do."

"All right. Suit yourself." She turned to Vilkas. "What about you, Vilkas?"

"Sure," Vilkas said and stood. The two Companions walked the dark streets of Whiterun. When they approached the Bannered Mare, they could already hear the laughing and shouting from inside.

"Vilkas, you smell that?" Aela asked Vilkas in a low voice.

"Unless you're talking about sweetrolls, no. I cured myself, remember?" Vilkas said with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, right. Well, I'm almost certain Lilliana is inside the Mare. There's a trail of her scent leading right into it. She's in there though, unless she left a while ago, and she wouldn't travel during the night."

"First Oliver, now you? Lilly's smart enough to not come anywhere near here if she doesn't want to be found. I'm sure it's just your nose playing tricks on you."

"All right, but if I see her-!"

"Don't drag her back you Jorrvaskr against her will."

"Fine," Aela said and pushed the door open. Many patrons were inside. All looked up at the two Companions entering the inn.

"Ah, Companions! Aren't there usually more of you?" Hulda asked.

"Well, yes, but some of us are out on jobs right now," Vilkas confirmed.

"How's that new Harbinger of yours doing?"

"Good. He's fitting into his new role well. He's a bit overwhelmed with paperwork, though."

"Good, good. Saadia, clear a table for them!" Hulda ordered a Redguard woman.

"Yes, mum!" she answered and scurried off to clean up a table for them. Vilkas and Aela approached the now clean table. Once they sat down and got their mead, Aela noticed a lone woman sitting at a table in a corner, drinking a bottle of Black-Briar Reserve.

"Hey, did you hear that the Honningbrew Meadery is making Black-Briar Mead now? Turns out, the owner, Sabjorn, poisoned Commander Caius and was taken to jail! His assistant, Mallus, took over the Meadery and apparently sided with Maven Black-Briar," someone said.

"That explains why there's more Black-Briar Mead now," Vilkas said.

"And why Tovar is more drunk," Aela added with a chuckle.

**oOo**

Lilliana sat in the Bannered Mare, _watching them. _Aela and Vilkas were sitting at a table, talking and laughing along with the other patrons. Lilliana was sitting close enough so she could hear their conversation.

"Do you really think Lilly got in with the Thieves Guild?" Aela asked Vilkas.

"No. You saw how dedicated she was in rising the ranks. I don't think she would go so low and become a thief. Don't worry about her. She can handle herself," Vilkas answered.

"Who said I was worrying?" Aela asked, although, the look on her face said otherwise.

"No one said that."

Lilliana chuckled at her old friends' conversation. It made her think. _When am I going to go back? Wait, am I going to go back? I'm going to go back. _

"Hey, who's that? I've never seen her here before," someone said from across the room. Lilliana looked up, and her eyes met with Vilkas's. She flinched and quickly looked back down.

"Lilliana?" Vilkas said and stood. Aela, now alerted that Vilkas had seen Lilliana, stood as well, and followed Vilkas to where Lilliana was sitting.

"What are you doing here?" Aela asked.

"Have you finally decided to come back?" Vilkas said.

"Look," Lilliana leaned forward, "I don't want to be found yet. No, I'm not coming back. I had a delay on the road and would have stayed in Riverwood if I could have, but it got dark. Vampires come out when it's dark, and I don't want to deal with them. Please don't tell Oliver that I'm here. I don't want to come back yet. Please."

Aela and Vilkas glanced at each other. They both pulled a chair up and sat down at the table with Lilliana.

"He really misses you," Aela said.

"It's probably just his beast missing me . . ." Lilliana growled.

"Tell me what happened," Vilkas said.

"You don't know?" Lilliana asked.

"The only thing the Circle knows is what you said in your letter. The rest just know you left because Oliver made you mad. None of us but Oliver know the details, and he refuses to talk about it," Aela explained.

"All right, I'll talk . . . I was outside watching the animals out on the plains. Oliver came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. He scared me," Lilliana smiled at the good part of the memory, "And then, all of the sudden, he was kissing me. Then, he growled! I moved back and looked, and his eyes were yellow, like when the beastblood is strong. When I asked if it was Oliver or the beast kissing me, he didn't answer, and seemed to be at a loss for words. The way I see it, he didn't want to admit that it was the beast. That he let the beast take control."

Both Aela and Vilkas were silent for a moment. Then, Aela spoke.

"From what Oliver told me, he didn't mean to mess up like that. He's really sorry for what he did."

"The male wolf does something that the female wolf does not," Vilkas said, "It picks a mate, and whenever it sees the mate, it wants to . . . _bed it. _You didn't realize it, but for a while before he kissed you, Oliver's beast was yearning for you. Something must have set it off, and it took over. Other than power, a male wolf's first priority is its mate, and finding one. Combined with the man in Oliver wanting you as his as well, it sounds like Oliver's beast just got the best of him. The beast wants what it wants. Nothing can change its mind."

Now, it was Lilliana's turn to be silent.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," Vilkas confirmed.

Now, Lilliana had absolutely no idea what to think. She was already having mixed thoughts about if she wanted to go back or not. Now that she knew the truth, one part of her was urging her to go back to Oliver. That part of her wanted everything to be like it was, but there was another part of her, as well. That part, which currently seemed to have control, wanted to run. It wanted to forget about Oliver and become indulged in the darkness of being a thief. Some other force was pulling her back to the Guild.

Her mind wanted one thing, but her heart wanted another, it seemed.

Growing up, her mother always taught her to be good, and her mind was screaming at her to ditch her life as a criminal and run to the honor of the Companions. Her heart wanted to walk the darker path.

Man, did she have problems.

"Well, now that you know the truth, will you forgive Oliver?" Vilkas asked, "And come back?"

**oOo**

**Hey guys! I feel like Lilliana's mixed emotions is the main problem of this story, aside from the fact that all of you are wanting her to go back so there can be some Oliver/Lilliana romance. Sorry, but there won't be very much romance in this. It's focusing more on Lilliana's mixed emotions about going back. This is more drama than romance. Don't worry, there will be plenty romance in the stories to come! Just hang with me through this. Drama is second to romance, right?**

**Please review your thoughts!**

**-Rayne**


	5. Replacement

"Well, now that you know the truth, will you forgive Oliver?" Vilkas asked. "And come back?"

This was the last thing Lilliana wanted to be asked.

"I . . . don't know. Honestly. I don't think I'm ready to come back just yet," Lilliana said, nervously popping her knuckles.

Aela gave a silent sigh. "I won't tell Oliver that we saw you here."

"I won't, either," Vilkas said.

"Thank you," Lilliana said, leaning back in her chair.

"Just, come back when you're ready. Oliver isn't quite like himself with you gone. He's been beating himself up over driving you away," Vilkas told her.

"I will."

**oOo**

Lilliana arrived in Riften, having completed the burglary job successfully. After her encounter with Aela and Vilkas, Lilliana's mind was slowly becoming more complex by the minute.

She approached the graveyard of Riften, and one headstone caught her eye. Bending down, she read the name on it.

_Emma Shadow-Arrow_

_Born 30__th__ of Evening Star, 4E 155_

_Died 28__th__ of Sun's Height, 4E 197, Age 41_

And, further down on the stone, more words were carved.

_Also in memory of her daughter, Lilliana Shadow-Arrow,_

_who was captured by bandits at the age of 15._

"Mother . . ." Lilliana sighed and sat down in front of the stone. Flowers sat in front of the stone, emitting a floral scent.

Lilliana never knew that her mother was buried here. She always thought that since she and her mother never had much money, she would not have been able to receive a proper burial. Apparently, she was wrong.

"Hi, mother. We . . . haven't spoken in a while. If I had known you were here, I would have come sooner. I know I must be a disappointment. I joined the Companions and had a chance to be that good person you always wanted me to be, but I ran and joined the Thieves Guild. You never liked my thieving skills, but now I'm surviving solely on them. I hope you and father are happy together in Sovngarde. Tell him hello for me. Say hi to Ysgramor and Kodlak, too. You know who Kodlak is, right? He was the Harbinger of the Companions. You've been watching over me, right? So you'll know what all has happened, and I don't have to explain. Good. I really miss you. Those bandits that got you got what they deserved. I'll come see you again soon. I would stay longer, but it's starting to rain." Lilliana stood and closed her eyes, trying to drive away the tears that threatened to spill.

"I love you, mother."

Once she composed herself, Lilliana entered the Cistern and noticed a small crowd around Mercer's desk. Mercer, Brynjolf, Delvin, and a woman with long black hair made up the crowd. Curiosity got the best of her and made her legs carry her to the Guildmaster's desk.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Special recruit," Mercer said.

"Hey, lass, you know how the Guild and Dark Brotherhood are, um, friends?" Brynjolf asked.

"Yes . . ." Lilliana was not sure where this was going.

"Their newest member decided she didn't like the assassin's life, so they transferred her here. They want someone else to come in and take her place, though. We're trying to decide who it will be."

"Who are you thinking of?"

"Well, you. You are our newest member and haven't molded to this life yet. You could easily mold to the assassin's life. We'll only do it if it's okay with you, though."

"It'd probably be a good idea. I did fail on my fishing job and killed my mark. I'll do it."

_Why did I just say that? _

"Really, lass?"

"Really."

"Mercer, she agreed," Brynjolf said to Mercer.

"Good. Delvin, Renaye, fill her in on the details," Mercer commanded.

Delvin and the black-haired woman, who was apparently named Renaye, walked over to Lilliana.

"You're taking my place?" Renaye asked.

"I guess I am. Details, please," Lilliana answered.

"Renaye here will take you to the Brotherhood's sanctuary," Delvin said, "Since you have agreed to join the Brotherhood, and under these circumstances, there will be no form of initiation. Along the way, Renaye will explain how the Brotherhood works. The Brotherhood's leader, Astrid, wants you to arrive as soon as possible. You take it from here, Renaye."

"We're trying to make this switch as quickly as possible, so we leave at dawn," Renaye said simply and walked off. Lilliana noticed she was wearing red and black robes with a handprint on the front and back.

"She's a mage, so we'll have to teach her how to at least throw knives or use a dagger," Brynjolf said from behind.

"I could never get the hang of magic. I'm a good alchemist, but the only spells I can cast are novice healing and fire spells. I knew how to cast frost and shock at one time, but I forgot how," Lilliana said.

"Be proud of what you've got. I can't cast a spell to save my life, and I'm a Breton," Delvin said. He and Brynjolf were laughing while Lilliana made her way to the Flagon.

Vex was sitting at the bar, drinking a bottle of Black-Briar mead when Lilliana walked up.

"I completed that burglary job," she told the Imperial and sat the golden urn down in front of her.

"Good job. Here's your pay." Vex handed Lilliana two huge coinpurses. "I heard you're an assassin now."

"I am. I was one on my fishing job, too," Lilliana said, "I _did _get the emerald, but I got caught and had to murder my mark."

"If you want to avoid an earful from Delvin right before you leave for the Brotherhood, I can help you out."

"How so?"

"Give me the emerald. I'll give it to Delvin and say that you had to do in Riften and asked me to give him the emerald for you. I'll pay you for it and get Delvin to give me the money to make up for it. How much did he say the job was worth?"

"Three hundred septims."

"All right. Here's three hundred septims. Delvin will pay me back and all is well. He will find out what happened eventually, but I'll say you didn't tell me, and we both win."

"Good idea. I'll do it." Lilliana handed the emerald to Vex.

"Now, get going. Can't let Delvin see you."

"Thanks." Lilliana walked through the Cistern, glancing at Delvin to see that he, Brynjolf, and Mercer were all talking. She grabbed the bag of items she wished to sell and made her way to the now damp streets of Riften.

**oOo**

Oliver was working with Eorlund at his forge. He had begun to occupy his time hammering away at the forge. He was getting quite good, and was now able to smith elven armor and weapons, and was now working on glass.

"That sword is coming along nicely," Eorlund commented.

"Thanks, but I'm having trouble combining the moonstone and malachite," Oliver said.

"Start heating up the malachite first and then add the moonstone. It melts faster than malachite."

"All right." Oliver was currently working on a glass greatsword. Eorlund had mentioned something about using dragon bones and scales to reinforce armor, and asked if Oliver could get him some to experiment with.

Oliver agreed, knowing about the Word Walls that dotted Skyrim's landscape, and the dragons that guarded them. It was a win-win. He would get the Word of Power from the Wall and the dragon's soul, and Eorlund got his dragon bones and scales. Oliver was making a glass weapon before setting off for Shearpoint. It was a Word Wall northeast of Whiterun, near the Dwemer ruin of Irkngthand.

Oliver was not particularly excited about his journey, but it _was _something to do. After all, he did not want his swordsmanship to get rusty, especially with him being Dragonborn and the dragons about. A big part that was pushing him along was the fact that there was a bounty on this dragon. After he killed the dragon, all he would have to do was speak to the jarl of Dawnstar to get his pay. Not that he absolutely needed it, of course . . . Money was nice no matter how much you had.

He was to leave tomorrow. His sword was almost finished, and he had already repaired some dents in his armor. Eorlund was already working on a set of Wolf armor for him. Oliver had told him not to bother with making a set for Lilliana; she preferred light armor, but Eorlund had insisted. Apparently, all Circle members got a set of Wolf armor. Whether or not they wore it was their choice.

"Did I do this right?" Oliver asked Eorlund and showed him the finished sword.

"Hmm, the work is solid. A good piece. I'll improve it a bit after I finish the helmet I'm working on," Eorlund said. It seemed that Oliver's smithing was getting better every day. He nodded his thanks and set off for Jorrvaskr.

Inside, Njada and Athis were in the middle of a brawl.

"That's the third one this week!" Oliver muttered as he walked by on his way to the living quarters. He would have tried to stop them, but it seemed the rest of the warriors in the hall were entertained by the abusive lovers. He didn't interfere.

Once in his room, Oliver grabbed his pack from the foot of his bed. The trip would take around a week if there was no trouble.

Wait.

Oliver no longer had Lilliana at his side. When he had fought the first dragon at the western watchtower, he had guards helping him, and when he took on his second dragon south of Riften, he had Lilliana's help, and it still broke her leg. It was evident he would need a shield-sibling.

He couldn't afford to forget to ask, so Oliver stopped what he was doing and exited his room. He already knew who he wanted to take with him.

Vilkas was sitting at his desk, writing what looked like a letter.

"Hey, Vilkas," Oliver said from the doorway.

"What is it?"

"Weren't you telling Farkas the other day of how you wished to kill a dragon? I'm going to go to a place called Shearpoint northwest of here tomorrow and realized I would need a shield-sibling. You wanna help me?"

Vilkas's eyes widened for a moment. "Of course I'll come with you."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"I'm sure we'll have problems when we get to Shearpoint."

**oOo**

"So, what's your story?" Renaye asked Lilliana as they walked east to Falkreath.

"My story? My story as to how I became a thief or from when I was born?" Lilliana asked, slightly confused as to what the tall Imperial woman meant.

"I'm sure your life story is long and complicated. You might not want to relive some things. I'm not _that _nosy. Just, how and why you decided to walk the path of darkness," Renaye answered.

"Well, I grew up in Riften and learned thieving skills from Brynjolf as a girl. My mother always steered me toward the path of light, not dark, so I adventured up until now. I made a _friend, _but he made me mad. So I ran, and I came here. Not much else to tell."

"Let me guess, that _friend _was more than just a friend?"

"That's how I wanted it to be for a while. When we finally crossed that line to more than friends, everything just went downhill from there."

"Listen well when I say this," Renaye started, "Men are complicated, just as complicated as women are, but if this _friend _really loved you, he'll come to his senses one way or another. Relationships are more confusing and complicated than trying to grasp magical theories, but, somehow, we're able to figure them out, and they can be very rewarding."

"So, you're saying love is magic?"

"It could be a metaphor of some sort, yes. The two are oddly alike in many ways. Hard to hold onto, confusing to figure out, but when you finally understand to some extent, it's very rewarding. Only if you don't think about it too hard."

"I've never thought about it that way before, but that does make a lot of sense."

"I have knowledge in both of those fields, and I'm a master at the arcane. Of course it makes sense. I've thought about it that way for years," Renaye replied smugly. Aside from the fact that she was full of herself, Renaye was very interesting to talk to. Lilliana thought that this woman would be a good friend for her.

And Talos knew she needed friends.

Hopefully, the Brotherhood would provide her with those friends.

But, why? She often wondered this as she and Renaye walked the road. Why had she agreed to join the Brotherhood? This was the last thing she wanted to do, but something seemed to pull her in. Like it was _fate _that was bringing her to this dark path, and she was letting it.

_Maybe I should just go with it and let fate take its course. _

Most of the walk to Falkreath was spent with Lilliana thinking about her situation, and listening to Renaye explain the ways of the Brotherhood.

"The Dark Brotherhood used to go by the Five Tenets, but Astrid abandoned those—"

"Why would she do that? The Dark Brotherhood has been around since the second era, so they must work," Lilliana questioned.

"That's a good question. My opinion is that she wanted power. The Night Mother will be arriving soon. I wouldn't be surprised if She was already there. When She comes, She will pick a Listener, and if Astrid was still going by the Old Ways, she would lose her power. I hope whoever the Listener is, they put Astrid in her place."

**oOo**

Helgen stood before them one day later.

"So this place _did _get destroyed by a dragon . . ." Renaye said, astonished.

"Yes. I wasn't here, but I have a friend that was. He never told me much about it, though," Lilliana said, looking at the gate to Helgen.

"Did you hear that?" Renaye asked, a fire spell glowing in her right hand.

"Bandits," Lilliana whispered. Together, they snuck to the gate, and Lilliana picked the lock on the gate.

Once it opened, a group of bandits were rushing toward them. Renaye began firing balls of fire and ice spikes at them, while Lilliana pelted them with arrows. A woman ran toward Lilliana and swung her sword at the hand that held Lilliana's bow, knocking it to the side.

Lilliana took her dagger from her hip and shoved it into the woman's neck as she brought her arm back for another swing. Once she was dead, Lilliana turned just in time to see a man swing a warhammer at her. She ducked, but was almost too late. The handle of the hammer made contact with the side of her head, knocking her to the ground.

Lilliana saw stars, and tears came to her eyes. Despite her aching head, she had sense enough to grab her fallen dagger and shoved it into the man's leg. He howled in protest and fell to one knee, giving Lilliana the chance to shove her dagger into the back of his neck. In the distance, she could hear fireballs flying and smelled charred flesh.

Her head was swimming, and she couldn't find the strength to get up. Bodies littered the ground, and Lilliana could see Renaye fighting the bandit chief in the distance. Thanks to an arrow from Lilliana, he was already weakened, and fell from Renaye's fireballs quickly. Once he fell, Renaye was running toward Lilliana.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"A bandit hit me on the head with a warhammer handle," Lilliana managed to say.

"Let me help." Renaye held up a glowing hand to Lilliana's head.

"Thanks. You wanna make camp up here before it gets dark?"

"Only if you help me."

"C'mon, you really think I'll make you do all the work?"

**oOo**

Late that next night, Renaye and Lilliana arrived in Falkreath.

"Aren't we going to stop at the inn?" Lilliana asked as Renaye passed the inn and headed for the gate out of Falkreath.

"No. The sanctuary is just up here. Follow me."

Lilliana followed Renaye down the road and past a fence. Right after they passed a fallen tree, Renaye turned right and walked off the road. Soon, they were met with a dirt path that was barely visible from the road. Nightshade bushes surrounded a small pond in front of them.

"Here it is," Renaye announced. Lilliana turned to the left and was met with a chilling sight. In an alcove carved into a rock wall, stood a black door. A skull with a handprint was on it, and took up most of the door. The rest was occupied by various bones.

"All you do is put your hand on the handprint and answer the question."

Lilliana walked forward and put her right hand on the door.

"_What is the music of life?_" it asked.

"Silence, my brother," Renaye whispered.

"Silence, my brother," Lilliana said.

"_Welcome home._"

Lilliana finally had a _home_ again.

**oOo**

**The drama is increasing! I like how things are going with this, and I feel like I'm doing a good job at portraying Lilliana's mixed feelings. Please give me your thoughts and suggestions for this. I'd like to hear them. In the next chapter, we have Oliver and Vilkas's journey to Shearpoint, and Lilliana's transfer into the Brotherhood. I hope you guys are excited! Fav and follow this story so I have your support!**

**-Rayne**


	6. Complexity

Oliver and Vilkas had started their journey northeast to Shearpoint early the next morning, at dawn. Neither had said anything on the way. Of course, there was the occasional warning about a wolf or bandit about to pounce, but no conversation. The trip took about a day and a half.

Once the two Companions arrived at the Word Wall, they both unsheathed their swords. A gray dragon was perched atop the Word Wall, sleeping. Oliver took one step forward, and the dragon sprang into the air. It roared and began circling overhead.

Oliver and Vilkas were focusing their attention on the dragon, and failed to notice the lid of a coffin falling to the ground. The screech of a Dragon Priest was what alerted them. They quickly spun around, now face-to-face with a masked, floating draugr.

"What is that thing?" Vilkas almost screamed over the flapping of the dragon's wings.

"A Dragon Priest. They were the most loyal servants under the dragons when they ruled," Oliver answered, keeping a close eye on the Priest.

"It must be powerful," Vilkas observed. The Priest then began to shoot fireballs at them from a staff in his left hand. The dragon continued to circle overhead. Oliver knew that they would most likely overwhelmed by both the dragon and the Priest. He ran forward and swung at the Priest. His glass sword sliced through the gold-colored armor of the Priest.

"No kidding!" Oliver answered with heavy sarcasm. The Priest began to shoot waves of frost at them as well.

Vilkas was able to get behind the Priest without it noticing while Oliver distracted it. Vilkas shoved his sword through the Priest's shoulder, causing it to screech in pain. Just then, the dragon that was looming over them swooped down behind them.

"Oliver, look out!" Vilkas screamed. Oliver moved to the side, not sure what Vilkas was talking about. "No, the other way!"

Now Oliver knew what Vilkas was talking about. The dragon's head was suddenly right next to Oliver, and its mouth was open, ready to bite. Oliver was fast, but he wasn't fast enough. He heard the Priest fall to Vilkas's sword just as the dragon nipped Oliver's shoulder. Luckily, one of the dragon's teeth only grazed Oliver's shoulder, but went right through his armor. He felt blood run down his arm from the gash and knew that without some form of healing, he would bleed out soon.

"I guess you have the dragon all to yourself now!" Oliver yelled to Vilkas, who was charging at the dragon. After Vilkas gave it a few good hacks to the neck, the dragon took flight once again.

"Don't worry, I can take it!" Vilkas yelled back. While Vilkas managed to keep the dragon distracted, Oliver rummaged through his pack. The snow under him was now a dark shade of crimson, and he was already beginning to feel light-headed from the blood loss. Once he found a healing potion, he downed it in two swallows.

Just as Oliver realized he only, stupidly, took one healing potion, a spray of frost engulfed his leg. He screamed in pain. His leg was now a frightening blue color. Oliver glanced up to see Vilkas hacking at the dragon's head while it snapped at him. Oliver noticed that the chestplate of Vilkas's armor was frozen, and Oliver hoped he – Vilkas – was smart enough to bring more healing potions.

His vision was beginning to blur. The pain from his leg was becoming unbearable, not to mention the gash in his right shoulder.

The last thing Oliver saw before he passed out was Vilkas raising his sword to drive it into the dragon's skull.

**oOo**

"_Welcome home_," the black door whispered. Lilliana pushed the stone door open, causing the sound of stone scraping against stone to fill the hallway behind the door.

Inside looked like an ancient Nordic ruin at first glance, but the banners adorning a black handprint said otherwise. After she walked down a staircase, Lilliana entered what looked like a briefing room. A bedroom seemed to be off to the left. From the doorway to the bedroom, stood a table with a map of Skyrim with iron daggers sticking into various locations, and a few shelves. Directly in front of them was a doorway with steps leading down.

"Everyone must be in here. C'mon," Renaye said and led Lilliana down the steps. She didn't have time to observe the room, or any of her new brothers and sisters, for something far more interesting stood before them all.

A jester.

_The _jester.

Cicero.

"But it is the Night Mother's voice we must follow, hers! Do you dare risk disobedience, and surely . . . punishment?" he ranted.

"Keep talking, little man, and we'll see who gets punished!" warned a tall Nord man, who rivaled Farkas in size. He had long, white hair, and a short beard to match. He wore red and black armor like the rest of the people in the room, but he was barefoot.

"Calm down, husband," a blonde-haired Nord woman said calmly, although her voice held a slight threatening tone. She was considerably smaller than her said husband, who towered over her small form.

"Mister Cicero," an older Imperial man started, "I for one am _delighted _that you and the Night Mother have arrived. Hopefully, her arrival will bring a welcome return to tradition!"

"Oh, what a wise, kind wizard you are!" Cicero exclaimed, "Surely to earn our Lady's favor!"

"But make no mistake," the blonde woman started, "_I _am the leader of this sanctuary. My word is law."

"Oh yes, mistress! You're the boss!" Cicero said. Then, everyone went back to their business.

"Astrid. This is my replacement, Lilliana," Renaye said to the blonde woman.

"Ah, our new addition," Astrid said, "Welcome to the family. Here, think of this as a welcome home gift. It should fit you like a glove." She handed Lilliana a bundle of red and black armor.

"How do you know my sizes?" Lilliana asked and took the bundle.

"I had them sent in from the Thieves Guild," Astrid said, "We'll work out your first contracts later. Now, you should meet your new family. I suppose Renaye told you about me?"

"She did," Lilliana started, "You're Astrid, the leader of the sanctuary."

"Correct. Go on, the others have been wondering who will be Renaye's replacement." Astrid began to walk to the briefing room with no other words.

One by one, Lilliana met her new family. There was Arnbjorn, a past Companion, and werewolf. He particularly seemed fond of Lilliana once he heard her story. She guessed it was because they both decided the Companions weren't for them. There was Veezara, the last Shadowscale, and Festus Krex, an elderly Imperial wizard who said to consider him the "grumpy uncle" of the family. A Dunmer woman introduced herself as Gabriella, and seemed to be the darkest of the family. Nazir, a Redguard, was the one who handed out the small contracts and cooked for the family. Lilliana particularly liked Babette, a three-hundred-year old vampire, which was in the body of a ten-year-old Breton girl.

And then, there was Cicero, who had stood out of the way while Lilliana met her new family, with no words. When Lilliana turned to him, he was standing by the gigantic crate she had seen him transporting.

"You were at the Loreius farm . . ." Lilliana observed.

"Oh, yes, Cicero was, and you helped me! I didn't expect the Kindly Stranger was one of Cicero's Dark Sisters," Cicero exclaimed.

"I just became one, really. I was a thief when you met me."

"Cicero never understood thieves. Take someone's things before you kill them? And they call me crazy!" Cicero ranted.

"Well, I _did _murder a man and his wife in Dawnstar after he caught me pickpocketing him. I was on my way to Whiterun from Dawnstar after I did that when I met you," Lilliana said with a slight smile.

"Is that it?"

"Are those the only people I've murdered?" Lilliana asked.

Cicero nodded.

"Aye, but I think that's going to change pretty soon."

"Well, of course it is! A Dark Brotherhood assassin cannot be an assassin without murder!"

"So, when you said you were transporting your mother, you really meant the Night Mother?"

"Cicero did! I'm the Keeper, you see."

Now Lilliana was even _more _interested in what Cicero had to say.

"What's a Keeper?" Lilliana asked.

"Well, I . . . keep! I keep the Night Mother clean, you see. Oil Her, _preserve Her_, so She can keep Her spiritual connection as well as a physical one."

"So She can pick a Listener."

"Exactly! Cicero hopes that it's soon, though . . ."

"I'm sure it will be," Lilliana said and eyed the crate behind Cicero that held the Night Mother's coffin. "Do you want some help moving the coffin?"

"Oh, most certainly not. Cicero already has that taken care of," Cicero said with a smile.

"All right, suit yourself."

**oOo**

Lilliana had settled into the sanctuary very well, but there was still something in the back of her mind nagging at her. She was to be an _assassin _now. What had made her agree to this? Her mother would have been devastated if she knew what Lilliana had done. Yet, there was _something _that made her do this, and she was determined to figure out what it was. For now, she would go with what her heart wanted, and ignore her mind, which was telling her to run back to Oliver.

She was in the sleeping area, situating her items in her chest. So far, she had about ten gigantic coin purses taking up one side, and two sets of folded armor taking up the other side, along with her weapons. She almost needed a new chest. Lilliana took the quiver of steel arrows off her back and sat them in her chest on top of her armor, along with her quiver of elven arrows and two quivers of iron arrows. She sat her Skyforge sword beside her arrows, and placed her bow on top of them all. She _did _feel helpless without her bow on her back, but she still had her dagger strapped to her thigh. That would have to be enough for now.

Closing the lid of her chest, Lilliana stood up. Her new Dark Brotherhood armor hugged her body like a glove. The leather was stiff, and it was hard to move. It would _definitely _take some getting used to.

The aroma of cooking meats and spices filled her nose. Lilliana walked to the ledge of the sleeping area and looked down on the dining room. Nazir was cooking some sort of stew, and it smelled like the Divines themselves . . . If they had a smell, that is. The only downside to the Thieves Guild, besides their headquarters being in a sewer, was that the food was _basic. _Nazir, on the other hand, was an excellent cook, and made a meal fit for royalty every night.

Lilliana crossed the dining room and entered the arcane room, where Festus was working on an enchantment, Gabriella was feeding the Brotherhood's pet frostbite spider, and Babette was reading a book. She approached the alchemy table and pulled out a few blue mountain flowers and wheat stalks and began grinding them into a powder. She didn't notice Babette approach her from behind.

"You should add a little ground Blisterwort to make the healing effect stronger," she instructed.

"I didn't know Blisterwort had a healing effect," Lilliana said as she dug around in her bag of ingredients, looking for the mushroom.

"Looks like you have an apprentice, Babette," Gabriella commented from across the room.

"I wouldn't mind if you taught me some more about alchemy," Lilliana said, focused on her potion.

"Heat the water up a little more. It'll make you heal faster," Babette said.

"I think I'm going to be a much better alchemist pretty soon," Lilliana muttered while she heated the water.

"With Babette teaching you, you'll be a better alchemist in no time," Festus said, not looking up from the enchanting table.

"At least I'll have something to do while I'm in the sanctuary . . ." Lilliana said.

"Oh, most certainly." Babette smiled.

**oOo**

**All right, guys. I know this chapter was kinda short, but it leaves you wondering what's going to happen to Oliver. I absolutely ****_love _****the Dark Brotherhood, and Cicero, so this is fun for me. So, if you are one of those "Cicero haters", this story is not for you. Review your thoughts!**

**-Rayne**


	7. Darkness Rises When Silence Dies

"Hey, Oliver, wake up!"

_Oliver was with Lilliana. He had finally found her._

_"__You know I don't want to be found," she snapped._

_"__Just stay with me for a little while," Oliver pleaded._

"Oliver, wake up! Can you hear me?"

_"__All right . . ." Lilliana said, defeated._

_"__I missed you," Oliver said, inching toward the girl. Her hair was black, for some unknown reason. So were her lips. Wait, her lips. He needed those lips. Soon, their noses were almost touching._

"OLIVER!"

Suddenly, everything changed, and Oliver was staring at a ceiling. _What happened? _He thought. He glanced around. He was in a bed, and his shoulder was searing with pain. His leg felt like ice, and his head was _killing him_.

"Wha- Where am I?" he muttered. In a flash, Vilkas was hovering over him.

"You're in the Nightgate Inn, a bit west of Windhelm," he said.

"What happened?"

"You got a bad gash in your right shoulder from the dragon. Then, it froze your leg with its breath. You blacked out. I half dragged, half carried you here. You almost bled out. A healer from Windhelm is on her way. You've been out for about a day."

Vilkas looked awful. The warpaint around his eyes was smeared and faded, and his eyes looked tired.

"When have you last slept?" Oliver asked.

"I got some sleep a few hours ago."

"Why did you not get some good rest? Were you worried about me or something?"

"Call me crazy, but—"

"You're crazy."

Vilkas looked down and scowled, but continued.

"But, yes, I was. You're the Harbinger, and I have to protect you," Vilkas said, his scowl unwavering.

"I appreciate your honesty," Oliver muttered.

"No problem. Here." Vilkas handed Oliver a red bottle, "It's the strongest healing potion they had here."

Oliver took the potion and uncorked it.

"We would have gotten you to drink it, but it's kind of thick," Vilkas stated.

"Thanks for not wanting to choke me." Oliver began to drink the potion. Vilkas left the room, and in came a man Oliver didn't know. He was bald, but had a large gray beard to make up for the lack of hair on his head.

"How are you doing, Harbinger?" he asked.

"Fine . . . Who are you?" Oliver said slowly.

"I'm Hadring, the innkeeper. Are you hungry? I'll get ya some food!" Hadring said in a rush before exiting the room.

"Hungry? More like starving . . ." Oliver mumbled as he finished the last of the healing potion. He sat the empty vial on the table beside his bed and leaned back into his pillow.

He had dreamed. It was _such _a good dream, too. Why did Vilkas have to wake him up right before the good part? Oliver couldn't help but to wonder why Lilliana's hair and lips were black in the dream. Now that he thought about it, her armor was unusual, too. It was red and black leather. A faction wore armor like that, but which one was it?

Oliver _knew _that the armor Lilliana wore belonged to a faction, but he couldn't quite remember which one. It bugged him. Maybe it was just an unusual dream, but _maybe _it wasn't. If he knew where that armor came from, he would know where Lilliana was. Then he could find her!

But, it was probably just his imagination making Lilliana look that way.

"Here, one of my patrons made you the Gourmet's signature dish, the Potage le Magnifique. Both he and I hope you enjoy it," Hadring said while scurrying into Oliver's room.

"The Gourmet's dish? You could have just made me some stew," Oliver protested.

"Nonsense. You're the Harbinger of the Companions. I've heard of your adventures. Certainly a warrior such as yourself needs some pampering at least once and a while," Hadring insisted.

"Fine. I'll take it. Thank you." Oliver took the bowl that was handed to him. "I'll take it, but I still don't like being pampered, even if I just woke up from being severely wounded by a dragon," Oliver muttered.

**oOo**

Lilliana stood on the other side of the table, facing Astrid.

"When do I get my first contract?" Lilliana asked.

"Soon. I'm preparing one for you now. For now, go speak to Nazir. He probably has a small contract to tide you over," Astrid replied, not looking up from her map.

Lilliana gave a nod and started to make her way to Nazir.

She had all too well noticed the Word Wall that stood in the main room of the sanctuary. Each time she walked by it, the infernal chanting filled her head. Lilliana refused to learn the Word, though. She did _not _want _anyone _to know she was the legendary Dragonborn. She would just have to ignore it for the time being until she figured out what she wanted to do.

_"__A small contract to tide you over." _Astrid's words resonated in Lilliana's head. What did Astrid think she was? A bloodthirsty murderer? Maybe.

Lilliana quickly learned after talking to her new brothers and sisters, that she had a dark side, and a big one at that. She loved listening to the tales of bloody contracts and stories of murder from the others.

And she hated it at the same time, too.

Once again, her own feelings confused her. Lilliana's dark side was desperately trying to take over, but her good side was not letting it. She didn't know what she wanted anymore. The two sides of her were at war, and she, as a whole, was suffering from it. One minute, she would think, "Why am I here? My mother would kill me if she was still alive and knew what I was doing!" but the next, she felt like she belonged.

It was awful.

Lilliana was pulled from her thoughts when she entered the dining room of the sanctuary. Nazir was sitting at the table as usual.

"Astrid said you might have a small contract for me?" Lilliana asked him.

"I do," Nazir began with a nod, "It's in Ivarstead. A beggar named Narfi lives in an abandoned house across from the village. Kill him. I don't know why someone wants a beggar dead, but it must be done."

"Thanks." Lilliana trudged up the stairs to the sleeping area. She grabbed her bow and other supplies before she headed out into the forest, where people would shun and fear her for her dark side, which she feared as well.

**oOo**

The trip to Ivarstead was uneventful. The only threat to Lilliana along the way was wolves, but she could easily shoot them down from a distance. People paid her no mind when she entered the small village. She was able to cross the river easily and enter the broken down house that Narfi resided in.

The beggar was asleep in a bedroll. So unaware. So vulnerable.

Lilliana approached silently, her elven dagger in her left hand. Once she was close enough to the man, she grabbed his chin and pulled it up, leaving his neck free to be slit.

Narfi screamed in protest, but the sound was muffled by Lilliana's hand.

Wait, how could she do this? He was a beggar! Helpless!

When Lilliana felt the blood run over her hand, though, her feelings changed entirely. An evil smile spread over her face and she shoved her dagger farther into Narfi's throat. Blood sprayed out and covered her arms that held the already dead man.

A pool of blood covered the floor. Lilliana took off her glove and stuck her right hand in it. Once her hand was covered in blood, she made a red handprint on the wall of Narfi's house.

**oOo**

"What's _that_?" Oliver asked Vilkas, who was holding a green mask of some sort.

"That Dragon Priest was wearing a mask. I took it. Thought you'd want it as a trophy or something," Vilkas explained. "Oh, and I went back and got some scales and bones off of that dragon."

"You should keep the mask, since you were the one who killed the Priest," Oliver insisted.

"Take it. I don't know what I'd do with it."

"Fine." Oliver took the mask and put it in his pack.

It had been two days since Oliver woke up from his unconsciousness. The healer from Windhelm, Jora, had healed his wounds and he was _almost _as good as new.

"We'll have to go back, anyway," Oliver said as they walked into the main room of the inn.

"So you can learn the Word from the Wall? All right," Vilkas agreed and sat down by the fire.

"How did Farkas's job in Dawnstar go?" Oliver asked.

"Fine. Turns out the blacksmith and his wife were murdered recently. They have no idea who did it."

"A shame."

"Aye."

**oOo**

Once Oliver and Vilkas were back in Whiterun, Oliver went straight to Eorlund to deliver the bones and scales.

"Ah, you're back. How'd it go?" The Gray-Mane asked when Oliver approached.

"We would have been back a couple days sooner, but the dragon gave me a gash in my shoulder and I passed out from the blood loss. A healer from Windhelm had to heal me," Oliver replied and handed the man the bag containing the bones and scales of a dragon.

"Thank you, lad." Eorlund took the bag. Oliver turned and walked back to Jorrvaskr.

Inside, he was met with a new face.

A man with short, blonde hair was conversing with Aela. He was wearing a set of slightly rusted iron armor, and had a matching sword on his hip.

"Aela, who's this?" Oliver asked as he approached.

"His name is Drudge. Says he wants to join," Aela said. Drudge turned to Oliver with a smile.

"You're the Harbinger?" he asked.

"That I am," Oliver replied. "You want to join? All right. How are your fighting skills?"

"I can handle myself, but I'm nowhere near as good as the Companions."

"Fair enough." Oliver turned to Aela. "Where's Farkas?"

"Out in the yard, last I saw him."

"All right. C'mon, Drudge," Oliver said and began to walk to the back doors of Jorrvaskr.

Farkas was sitting on the porch, coaching Ria on her training.

"Farkas, I need you to test his mettle," Oliver said and pointed to Drudge.

"All right. C'mon, New Blood," Farkas told Drudge and walked to the training yard. Oliver turned and entered the hall.

Once he was in his room, Oliver took out the mask of the Dragon Priest. It glowed with an enchantment. When inspected closer, Oliver found a word carved into the back.

_Krosis._

So, that was the name of this Priest. Oliver wondered what it meant in the dragon language. He put the mask in the nearby chest and picked up Kodlak's journal.

He was finally ready to read it.

**oOo**

Lilliana entered the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary, her face expressionless. She still hadn't forgiven herself for murdering a beggar.

"Done?" Astrid asked when Lilliana appeared.

"Yes," Lilliana replied sharply. She didn't listen to what Astrid was saying and kept walking toward the dining room. Nazir was in the middle of cooking some kind of meat.

"I'm back. Where's my money?" Lilliana asked with an emotionless voice.

"Here." Nazir put down his spoon and walked to a chest. He fished out a coin purse and handed it to Lilliana. "You murdered an innocent beggar in cold blood. Perhaps you are assassin material."

"And I hate myself every day for it," Lilliana muttered as she walked to the sleeping quarters.

She had put her things away and changed into red and black robes when Veezara entered.

"Astrid wants to see you," he said before exiting. Lilliana sighed but began to make her way to the briefing room.

"Ah, now that you decided to make an appearance, I have a job for you," Astrid sneered as Lilliana walked in.

"Again?" Lilliana replied sharply.

"Yes, _again_. It's Cicero. Ever since he's arrived he's been, well, erratic would be an understatement. He's been in the Night Mother's chambers, _talking_, to someone in hushed, but frantic tones. I fear treachery. I need you to find out who the accomplice is. You'll need a hiding place, like, in the Night Mother's coffin."

"I can't do that! It's so . . . _disrespectful_."

"I'm ordering you to do it, now go!"

"Fine," Lilliana huffed. She trudged to the Night Mother's chambers and to her coffin.

It was the first time she had seen the coffin. It seemed to draw her in. Maybe the Night Mother was the thing that was making Lilliana be such a good assassin.

She bent down and quickly picked the lock, wondering why it would be so easy to pick. Once the coffin was open, the corpse was in full view.

Lilliana took a deep breath and stepped into the coffin. She wasn't happy at all about being this close to a corpse, especially the Night Mother's corpse. She closed the doors behind her and tried to put as much distance between her and the Night Mother as she could.

Soon, she heard whistling. Then, Cicero began to speak.

"Are we alone? Yes, yes, alone! I've spoken to them, and they're coming around, I know it! The wizard Festus Krex, perhaps even the Argonian, and even the Un-Child," Cicero ranted. "What about you? Have you spoken to anyone? No, or course not! I do the talking, the stalking, the seeing and the saying! And what do you do, hmm? Nothing! Not . . . Not that I'm angry. No, never. Cicero understands. Cicero . . . always understands. And obeys."

And then, Lilliana almost fell out of the coffin.

"_Poor Cicero, dear Cicero. Such a humble servant, but he will never hear my voice. But you will, for you are the one,_" A voice resonated in Lilliana's head. The Night Mother's corpse glowed. _The Night Mother was talking to Lilliana._

"Poor Cicero has failed you, sweet Night Mother! Poor Cicero is sorry, sweet Night Mother. But how can I exert your will if you will not speak, to anyone?" Cicero continued.

"_Oh, but I will speak," _The Night Mother continued. "_I will speak to you, for you are the Listener. Yes, you. You, who shares my iron tomb, who warms my ancient bones. I give you this command: Speak to Amaund Motierre in Volunruud._"

"_Tell Cicero the words he has been waiting for all these years. Darkness rises when silence dies._"

Then, Lilliana was falling backwards into nothingness.

**oOo**

**All right. How'd you people like that? I'm sure you know what's going to happen next. Don't worry, I'm changing up the Dark Brotherhood arc. I have some interesting things I want to do with it. They start in the next chapter! It'll be up soon!**

**-Rayne**


	8. Finding Yourself

So _this_ was what Kodlak thought about him.

Oliver had just finished Kodlak's journal, and it _was _interesting. It talked mainly about the fact that the Companions were looking to cure themselves of the beastblood, but there were elements about Oliver _and _Lilliana as well. Apparently, Kodlak had seen some sort of look that Oliver had whenever he looked at Lilliana, saying that it was the same way he looked at Oliver's grandmother.

Interesting, indeed.

Oliver stood from his desk in the antechamber of the Harbinger's room with the book in hand. He took it back to the bedroom part of his room and placed it on a shelf, right by the strange, floating gem. Oliver made a mental note to ask someone what the gem was.

Maybe he would give it to Lilliana when she came back.

He drove her away, so he had to give her something to compensate for it, right? It needed to be more than just a strange gem, though.

Oliver sat down on the side of his bed in thought. He _had _to give Lilliana something better than a gem, but what?

And then, it hit him. All he would have to do is hunt some more dragons.

**oOo**

Lilliana was falling backwards into nothingness. At first, she thought she had passed out, but realized she didn't when she hit the floor. The wind was knocked out of her lungs when her back made contact with the hard, stone floor. Suddenly, Cicero was hovering over her.

"What? What's this?" he started with a surprised expression. Then, he flew into an utter rage. "Defiler," he sneered. "Debaser and defiler! You have desecrated the sanctity of the Night Mother's coffin! Explain yourself!"

Lilliana desperately tried to talk, but she could barely breathe. Apparently, Cicero either didn't care or didn't notice, because he kicked Lilliana's side. Hard.

"Speak, worm!"

"Calm down!" Lilliana started with a weak voice. "I promise and swear that I didn't want to do this. Astrid made me. She thought you were talking to someone, planning betrayal," she said in a rushed voice as she stumbled to her feet.

"What? Lies! More lies!"

"No, you have to believe me! She ordered me to! The Tenets say not to refuse an order from a superior! Even though Astrid has abandoned them, I chose to follow them anyway, and she took advantage of that. But, you won't believe," Lilliana said, her voice coming to a stop while she gasped for breath. Her lungs were starting to work again.

"Won't believe what?" Cicero asked. His expression was no longer filled with rage, just, slight irritation. At least he wasn't acting like he was going to murder Lilliana.

"The Night Mother. She spoke to me. She said I was the one . . . She told me to tell you . . . Darkness rises when silence dies . . ."

"What? She said that? She said those words . . . To you?" Cicero asked slowly.

Lilliana nodded.

Cicero beamed. "Then she's back! Our lady is back! Ha ha! She has chosen a Listener! She has chosen you! Ha ha! All hail the Listener!" Cicero fell to his knees and smiled up at Lilliana. She stared down with a look of shock.

"I need to sit down . . ." Lilliana sat in front of the Night Mother's coffin with her head in her hands. She almost couldn't fathom what just happened. How could she be the Listener? She had always been good, all her life! Maybe this was her destiny. Maybe this is why she had agreed to join the Brotherhood in the first place, all because she was destined to be the Listener.

"Who is it? Where's the accomplice? Reveal yourself, traitor!" Astrid ran through the door with her blade unsheathed.

"Astrid . . ." Lilliana started.

"Who was Cicero talking to?" Astrid completely ignored her.

"Oh, I was talking only to the Night Mother, but she didn't talk back! She spoke only to the Listener, her!" Cicero exclaimed and pointed to Lilliana, who was resting her chin on her hand.

"What? The Listener?" Astrid turned to Lilliana. "What's he going on about?"

"The Night Mother spoke to me. She said I was 'the one'. She told me to speak to Amaund Motierre in Volunruud," Lilliana explained, her face emotionless.

"Amaund Motierre? I've never heard that name before, but Volunruud, I've heard of. It's a crypt, pretty far to the northwest. Give me some time to think about this. But you're sure? The Night Mother just spoke, right now, to you? And from everything we know, that means you're the Listener . . ."

"Yes," Lilliana confirmed. "Should I go to Volunruud? And speak to Motierre?"

"No! Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but you take your orders from me. Are we clear on that? The Night Mother may have spoken to you, but I am still the leader of this family. I will not have my authority so easily dismissed," Astrid spat before exiting.

"Renaye was right, Astrid _is _power hungry," Lilliana mumbled.

"Oh, you are the Listener, you are the Listener! I have served Mother well, I have!" Cicero exclaimed while doing a strange little dance.

"Hey, Cicero," Lilliana said. Cicero immediately stopped dancing. "Tell me about the Old Ways. I want to know more about them since I'm the Listener."

"Oh?" Cicero looked surprised. "Most certainly! There's a system, you see. The Black Hand." Cicero held up his hand and pointed to his thumb. "The thumb represents the Listener, because it makes the biggest print. There are four Speakers," Cicero pointed to this four other fingers, "That are second in rank to the Listener. When the Listener gets a contract, they send them to the Speakers. The Speakers are the ones who recruit assassins, and talk to contacts. Each Speaker has a Silencer. A Silencer is the Speaker's personal assassin. A Speaker leaves contracts in Dead Drop locations, and the Silencers carry them out. The rest of the Brotherhood doesn't know who the Silencers are, though."

"What about the Night Mother, and the Listener?"

"When the Night Mother speaks, the Listener must obey, you must! There is no refusing to carry out her will!"

"Then that means I don't have to take orders from Astrid. I should be the one giving her orders. She should be a Speaker. You know what?" Lilliana stood and looked to Cicero. He raised his eyebrows. "If she doesn't give me leadership, I'll take it from her. I haven't been here long, but I already have some ideas to bring the Brotherhood to glory again. The Night Mother and the Old Ways guided the Brotherhood for centuries, and personally, I think Astrid was a fool to let them go. If she doesn't come to her senses soon, I'll bring the senses to her."

**oOo**

Lilliana awoke later that night from a nightmare-filled sleep, covered in sweat. She had dreamed about shadowy figures, chasing her into a coffin. The Companions were in it, too, but they were off to the side, begging her to come back to them. The Brotherhood was behind the coffin she was being chased into, calling for her as well. In the dream, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. When she finally got to the coffin, she fell into darkness.

Then, she woke up.

The rest of her brothers and sisters were still asleep. The fire in the dining room was still blazing, so they couldn't have been asleep for long. Otherwise, the fire would only be glowing.

Lilliana slipped her robes on over her nightgown and left the sleeping area.

Babette was neither in her room, nor the arcane room. _She must be out hunting, _Lilliana thought as she walked into the kitchens. She grabbed a tankard and filled it with water that had been chilled, using ice wraith teeth and frost salts. She sipped on her water as she walked towards the Black Door.

When she opened the door, a blast of cold air hit her. Lilliana flinched and closed the door back. It _was _winter, but that was just ridiculous. Coldness like _that _shouldn't even be possible.

Sighing, Lilliana headed towards the only other place she could go: the Night Mother's chambers.

The coffin stood open and looked just the same as it did earlier that day, but to Lilliana, it looked entirely different. _This _was her mother now. This was all she had. Wouldn't it only make sense to go to your mother after you have a horrible dream?

Lilliana sat cross-legged in front of the coffin and started up at it.

"Are you the reason I'm here?" she asked it. "Are you the one that gave me this dark side? I'm sorry, Mother, but I never wanted it. Honestly, I'm scared. . . You know all, right? So you know that when I grew up, I was good. It's such a big change. And now, I'm the Listener. . . It's my destiny, right? This is how it's supposed to be? Am I really supposed to be having a war with myself?"

Silence. There was silence.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"_Follow your heart, my Listener._"

"So I'm supposed to be a dark person?"

Once more, there was silence.

"I guess that's a yes."

"What do you guess, is a yes, Listener?" asked a high-pitched voice from behind. Lilliana turned to see Cicero, wearing just his motley and boots.

"The silence is a yes," Lilliana said. "What are you still doing up?"

"Cicero was just about to go to bed, but he heard you talking," Cicero explained as he walked toward her. "The question is, what are you still doing up?"

"I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep. I decided to talk to the Night Mother."

"About?" Cicero was sitting across from Lilliana now.

"My war."

Cicero raised his eyebrow.

"I grew up with my mother always telling me to be good and become an adventurer, or something. But now I'm an assassin, and I'm good at it. Apparently I have a dark side, and it's taking over. I was asking Mother if I was supposed to let it win. She said for me to follow my heart."

". . . What does your heart say?"

" . . . My mind says to be good . . . But my heart is telling me to be dark."

"Then, be dark."

"You think that's what I need to do?"

"If that's what your heart is telling you, then yes."

"Thanks, Cicero."

"My pleasure, Listener."

**oOo**

"Black hair dye? Why do you want that?" Babette asked Lilliana.

"Blonde seems too good. Black is dark, like the night," Lilliana answered.

"Hm. We don't have any, but I can make some." Babette corked the potion she made and put it on a shelf. Lilliana nodded.

"Thanks. You'll have to help me dye my hair."

"No problem."

Lilliana exited the arcane room and found Gabriella, who was eating in the dining room.

"Hey, Gabriella. Can I have some of that black paint for your lips?" Lilliana asked.

"Sure, dear sister. May I ask why?"

"I'm letting my dark side do what it wants. It wants black hair and lips," Lilliana answered.

"Glad to see you finally decided what to do."

"How did you know I was making a decision?"

"I have a friend. She's taught me all about being a seer. I observe. I could sense that you had an inner problem."

"Um, that's nice," Lilliana said while she followed Gabriella.

Now, she really wondered what Oliver would think if they ever met again.

**oOo**

**All right, shorter chapter! What do you guys think about how Lilliana's turning out to be? Give me your thoughts! I want to know. Also, did you notice Cicero's kind of sane moment? Oh yeah, can any of you guess what Oliver is going to get Lilliana? **

**-Rayne**


	9. Now There's Two Fools

Volunruud was about a three hour walk to the north of Whiterun, right where it started to snow. Lilliana had just arrived there.

She left the sanctuary three days ago after deciding that she didn't need Astrid to tell her to go to Volunruud. Lilliana was the Listener. She had to do what the Night Mother said.

When she entered the tomb, she found a skeleton sitting on a throne. It didn't notice her. Lilliana pulled out her dagger and slashed at it. The fragile bones fell apart right when the blade hit them. She continued on and saw a staircase leading up to a door. On both sides of the staircase were two tunnels, leading deeper into the ruin.

_Motierre wouldn't go deep into here, would he? No, there has to be a side room that he's hiding in, _Lilliana thought. She turned from the staircase and saw another doorway that led to a small, circular room filled with dead draugr. _Bingo. _She stepped over the bodies, careful to make no noise, and found a wooden door. She pried it open as quietly as she could, and peered inside.

A shorter Breton man, who looked greatly irritated and stuck-up, was standing near the door. Another man who was wearing Imperial armor was standing farther back in the room near an urn. A bedroll was laying off to one side as well. It seemed that the men didn't notice her . . . yet.

Lilliana let the shadows fade, revealing herself. The short Breton man, whom Lilliana guessed was Amaund, looked up and gasped. The armor-wearing man in the back looked up, but his eyes only widened.

"You! By the gods, you finally came! You're from the . . . Dark Brotherhood, correct?" Amaund asked.

"Why else would I be here?" Lilliana snapped. She wasn't about to make idle conversation with this man.

Amaund visibly flinched at her words.

_Maybe my new appearance is working for me. I'm sure I look much more intimidating. _

When Lilliana decided to follow her heart, a lot of her changed. Her hair and lips were now black as the Void, and instead of braiding her hair down her back, she only had some strands in the front braided back so they didn't fall in her face. That, and with the way she looked at Amaund with a sense of power, he crumbled in her presence.

_I could get used to this. _

"Um, well, I would like to arrange a contract," Amaund started. "Several, actually. I daresay, the most important your organization has seen in, well . . . centuries. I want you to kill several people. You'll find the targets, as well as their manners of elimination, quite varied. I'm sure someone of your disposition would find it quite enjoyable. But you should know that these killings are but a means to an end. For they pave the way to the most important target, the real reason I'm speaking with a cutthroat in the bowels of this detestable crypt. I seek the assassination of . . . the Emperor."

". . . You want us to kill the Emperor . . . Of Tamriel?" Lilliana asked calmly, only letting her wide eyes show her astonishment.

"That is correct. What I ask is no small thing, of course. But you represent the Dark Brotherhood. This is . . . what you do? No? You must understand. So much planning, and maneuvering. Now, it's as if the very stars have finally aligned. But I digress. Here, take these. Rexus," He clapped his hands. "The items!"

The man in armor, Rexus, walked forward and handed a sealed letter and a box to Lilliana.

"These items need to be delivered to your, um . . . superior. The sealed letter will explain everything that needs to be done. In the box is an amulet. It is quite valuable – you can use it to pay for expenses."

"Um, thanks." Lilliana put the items into one of her many pockets and turned to exit the tomb.

It was mid-day. She would have just enough time to get to Riverwood before nightfall came.

**oOo**

The Sleeping Giant Inn was where the innkeeper was secretly a Blade, according to what Oliver told Lilliana when they were first reunited after she joined the Companions. She wondered if Oliver had been back here since she ran from the Companions, to continue with his destiny.

Well, it _was _Lilliana's destiny, too. She was Dragonborn as well. _Maybe I don't have a destiny as Dragonborn. Maybe it's just Oliver that has to be the hero, _Lilliana thought. _Makes sense. He is the Harbinger of the Companions, after all. I'm an assassin. Assassins aren't heroes. He fits the image of the Dragonborn much better than I do. _

Riverwood's small tavern was full of patrons. A blonde man was playing a flute in a corner. Across the room, a Breton woman served drinks to a table of men, while a man behind the counter handed a plate of food to a woman wearing a yellow dress.

No one paid Lilliana any attention as she walked through the tavern. She had changed into a simple dress like the citizens wore, hoping to draw attention away from herself. With her different look, people _hopefully _wouldn't recognize her. At least she wasn't in Whiterun.

The man behind the counter eyed Lilliana as she approached.

"Need a room, talk to Delphine," he said. He sounded much like Farkas.

"She's the Breton woman, right?" Lilliana asked, gesturing to the woman in question.

"Right."

Lilliana nodded and approached the woman, who was now leaning against the doorframe of a bedroom.

"How much for a room?"

"Ten septims," Delphine answered.

"Here." Lilliana handed a small coinpurse to Delphine.

"It's the one on the left. Make yourself at home." She handed Lilliana a key.

"Thanks." Lilliana turned and entered her room. She threw her pack on the bed and plopped down into a chair. On the table beside her sat a bottle of Black-Briar mead. She grabbed it and uncorked it.

The sounds of talking and laughing grew louder on the other side of the door. The melodies coming from the bard swelled along with the other noises coming from the patrons. It seemed that the night was just starting, right when Lilliana wanted it to end. Hopefully, she would be able to drown out the noises of the people in the tavern so she could sleep. She wasn't very hungry, for she had eaten most of her packed food on the way to Riverwood.

Once the bottle of mead was empty, Lilliana sat it on the table where it originally resided and stood from her seat. She began to strip of her dress and change into her nightgown.

She still couldn't quite fathom the idea that she was _supposed _to be the leader of an assassin cult that had to kill the emperor of Tamriel. It was all so sudden. Maybe she would get used to it. Well, she had to get leadership of the Brotherhood before anything could happen properly.

_I'll keep playing Astrid's little game for a while and see if she hands over leadership, _Lilliana thought._ I'll give her time. If she doesn't give me leadership soon, I'll take it from her. Simple as that. _

**oOo**

One day later, Lilliana arrived at the sanctuary.

Astrid was leaning against the doorframe leading into the rest of the sanctuary when Lilliana entered. She received a scowl from the older woman.

"_Where _have you been?" she snapped.

"Volunruud. Amaund _was _there," Lilliana started calmly. "You'll never guess who he wants us to kill."

"You went to Volunruud? I thought I told you no! You disobeyed me, your _superior. _This will not be accepted—"

"You're not my superior. I have been named Listener. I have the highest-ranking position in the Brotherhood under the Night Mother," Lilliana interrupted. Astrid froze, but her stare didn't waver. "I bet no one has ever stood up to you before, so this might be a little new to you, but you listen to me Astrid. I'll give you two days to hand me my rightful leadership of the Brotherhood, or I will take it myself. I know you abandoned the Old Ways, but the whole point of the Night Mother coming here was that she could pick a Listener. She did. I'm the Listener now. That means I get leadership. You've been used to being the boss around here, I know, but that's going to change soon, I promise."

"My word is law—" Astrid started.

"And so is the Night Mother's. If my knowledge is correct, the Night Mother is the bride of Sithis. Sithis could probably kill you in your sleep if he wanted to. For all we know, you could drop dead right now. I suggest that you rethink your decision to take power that doesn't belong to you anymore. I'll let you handle this Motierre business until you hand over leadership . . . or I take it from you. Whichever has to be done. Are we clear?"

"Fine," Astrid spat and walked past Lilliana. Once Astrid entered her room and slammed the door shut, Lilliana turned to see that a crowd had gathered in the doorway to the rest of the sanctuary, Cicero in the front.

"I can't believe someone stood up to Astrid. . ." Nazir murmured from the back.

Arnbjorn stood right behind Cicero, evidently speechless. Cicero had the widest grin on his face, and seemed to be almost shaking with joy. The rest stared up at Lilliana with wide eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Lilliana asked shakily. She had the look of deadly assassin, but she hadn't quite mastered the attitude yet.

No one said a word, but they did clear a path for Lilliana to walk further into the sanctuary.

"Listener!" Cicero called from behind.

Lilliana turned to see the jester scampering up to her. She arched an eyebrow.

"Cicero is _so _glad that the Listener stood up to the _Pretender_!"

"I am, too. Maybe now she'll come to her senses. . ."

"Cicero hopes she will, but he wouldn't mind watching the Listener confront the Pretender again!"

"Don't worry, if I have to, I will." Lilliana walked up the steps to the back of the sanctuary, Cicero trailing behind her.

"Cicero has a feeling the Listener will . . ."

"Like I said," they entered the Night Mother's chambers, "If I have to, I will. Although, I'm not looking forward to it."

"I am!"

"Yes, I know."

Lilliana sat down in a corner of the chambers, letting the darkness wrap around her, but not completely engulf her. The Night Mother's coffin stood high and mighty in front of the stained-glass window depicting Sithis, casting an authority-like aura around the room. The aura, more like a presence, was cold, but strangely comforting. Lilliana had begun to accept the presence as part of her.

It was destiny.

**oOo**

The nerve of her! Astrid had taken Lilliana under her wing, accepted her into their family, gave her clothes, food, protection, and more! But she still had the nerve to make a fool of her superior! Just because she was the Listener!

Astrid was still trying to wrap her head around that. For all she knew, Lilliana was just lying about being the Listener just to get authority! That muttering fool must have been in on it, too. Astrid wondered if she was getting others on her side, too.

But, the Night Mother _did _tell her to go to Volunruud and speak to Amaund Motierre, and he was there! Maybe it was fixed . . . Maybe Lilliana didn't _really _want to be here. Maybe she was with the Penitus Oculatus, making an inside plot to destroy their family! Well, she could be many things . . .

For once, Astrid didn't know what to do.

Lilliana _did _seem serious when she said to hand over authority.

But this was Astrid's family! She would _not _have her authority so easily dismissed. But, by the way Lilliana was talking, she would bring back the Old Ways, so that would mean Astrid would become a Speaker. But still, her authority wouldn't be dismissed this easily!

And there was still the matter of the assassination of . . . Wait, Lilliana never told her who Motierre wanted dead! But she did have the letter . . .

**oOo**

The dragon's head fell to the ground with a thud.

Oliver sheathed his greatsword and wiped the blood that was dripping from his nose. The dragon at Skyborn Altar hadn't been as tough as the one at Shearpoint, and there was no Dragon Priest at this one, so Oliver had gotten out unscathed.

Ashes began to rise from the dragon, its skin flaking off and slowly burning away. Beams of light rushed out from the corpse and into Oliver, the soul invading him like some unwelcome force. Knowledge filled his head. Even though he had gone through this quite a few times now, the sensation was still . . . unsettling to him. Shaking the feeling off, he walked forward and began scraping off the remaining scales of the dragon and collecting bones.

He hadn't told anyone, but he was planning on making a set of armor, made almost entirely out of dragon scales and bones, for Lilliana. The only other person that knew was Eorlund, who agreed to help Oliver complete the almost impossible task. Eorlund said that he could possibly make weapons out of dragon bones with a little more experimenting, so Oliver agreed to get him all the bones and scales he needed.

Chanting filled Oliver's head and pulled him from his thoughts. He approached the nearby Word Wall, waiting for the light to rush toward him. Once he was in touching distance to the Wall, the words glowed. The Word was Fo, meaning frost.

Once his head was clear again and all was well, Oliver turned and began to walk down the mountain.

**oOo**

"Lilliana!" Astrid's voice echoed down the hall.

Lilliana and Cicero had been sitting in the Night Mother's chambers, Lilliana talking about her trip to Volunruud and Cicero telling her more about the Old Ways. Both flinched at the shrill call of their soon-to-be Speaker.

"What?" Lilliana called back, standing up as she did so.

Astrid entered the room.

"Is this some kind of joke?" she asked and waved the letter in Lilliana's face.

"The letter from Motierre? Of course not. Here, he gave me this amulet, too. It's for expenses." Lilliana handed the amulet to Astrid. The older woman's eyes widened.

"You mean to say that Motierre wants us to kill the emperor?"

"Not _just _the emperor. Didn't you read the letter? We need to kill others to pave our way to the emperor. I would have read it myself, but I was instructed to bring it to you."

"To kill the emperor of Tamriel . . . Our organization hasn't done anything like that since the assassination of Pelagius, and that was over two hundred years ago. . ."

"We're accepting the contract."

"You're damn right we are!"

"I guess you'll have control over this until you hand leadership over to me . . . Doesn't that mean you should go tell the others?"

"I was _planning _on that." Astrid turned and walked from the chambers, muttering under her breath as she did so.

"Now look who's the _muttering fool_!" Cicero whispered from behind.

"Ha ha. Very funny," Lilliana said sarcastically with a chuckle.

"Motierre _really _wants us to kill the emperor?"

"That's what he told me, and apparently that's what it said in the letter, so yes."

"What a glorious day for the Dark Brotherhood!" Cicero began to do that odd little jig of his again. "We find our leader, but the empire loses theirs!"

"I'm not exactly your leader yet, Cicero, as much as I want to be. I think it'll be a couple days before I have much say as to what goes on around here, but you have my word, when I do get authority, _lots _of things are going to change."

**oOo**

**Hey guys! I finally got done with this so here ya go! And the story that comes before this, Fury of a Wolf and Temper of a Dragon, that's gotten over 1,600 views, but this story only has gotten 300. That confuses me. Guess not many people wondered what happened to Lilliana after the end. I really want to know why this isn't as popular as its predecessor. And I'm putting this series on Archive of our Own, too, so maybe I can get some more viewers. And that Skyrim/Thor crossover (I think) I mentioned, I'm almost done with the first chapter of that. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and support!**

**-Rayne**


	10. Everything's Fine For now

"It's been two days. I still don't have leadership," Lilliana stated.

All of the Brotherhood was gathered in the main part of the sanctuary, knowing that it was time for leadership to change. Lilliana and Astrid stood face-to-face. Astrid seemed irritated, but Lilliana was enjoying herself.

Astrid said nothing and scoffed.

"May I take that as an 'okay'?"

"No!" Astrid spat.

"Quit putting it off, Astrid. I'm taking leadership. _Now. _Just accept it. You are to be a Speaker, and you take your orders from me. Are we clear?"

Astrid glared at Lilliana before huffing and walking away.

"That was actually easier than I thought . . ." Lilliana muttered, turning to Cicero.

"Things are finally as they should be!" he started. "Cicero is so happy! Mother will finally get the respect she deserves!"

"I'm glad that I've fixed some things . . . I should speak to the others," Lilliana started. She turned to the others. "Listen up!" All the muttering that was going through the others ceased and all eyes were on her. "I'm sure you saw what just happened, but as you know, the Night Mother named me Listener. I plan to bring her ways back. Starting now, we follow the Tenets and the system of the Black Hand. Astrid is our Speaker now. I expect you all to follow the Tenets and if not, face the consequences. I will hear of it if you do not. Nazir, I want you to work with Astrid on getting more recruits when you can. I want to expand our Family more. We will need all the help we can get with the assassination of the Emperor in progress. Everyone okay with that?"

"Finally! A return to tradition! I don't know about the others, but I'm with you," Festus said. For once, he smiled at Lilliana.

_I think that's the first time I've seen him smile . . . _she thought.

"I'm with you. There are some people I've had my eyes on. I'll get right on it!" Nazir added from the back.

Arnbjorn growled and trudged away.

"I don't think he's with me . . ." Lilliana muttered.

"I'm with you," Babette said from the front, her voice small because of her child-like form, "You have proven yourself a good friend and shown the capability of becoming a great leader. Lead us to glory."

"I am with you as well," Veezara added from his usual spot by the training dummies. "When I trained to be a Shadowscale, they taught us to follow the Tenets and the way of the Night Mother. When I came here, I thought it was wrong at first, but I got used to it. I am glad that you are bringing us back to the ways that guided us for centuries."

Gabriella stepped forward. "The others seem to think that it is for the best that you lead. I am with them. From what I have seen, you are an excellent Dark Sister and will not waver from the Night Mother's words. I can see why the Night Mother picked you as her Listener."

"All of you, your words mean a lot, really," Lilliana started. "I wasn't expecting you all to follow me so willingly. I guess it was luck . . ."

"You're lucky that Arnbjorn hasn't flayed you alive by now," Nazir remarked.

"I'm sure he's only keeping me around because I'm the one who the Night Mother talks to," Lilliana remarked as she walked back to the Night Mother's chambers once again. She had begun to spend most of her time there.

She approached the coffin of her Unholy Matron and kneeled in front of it.

"Have I done well?" she asked.

"_I am pleased. Astrid has been put in her place and you have taken your rightful leadership. It is as it should be. I expect you to continue to bring back what Astrid has abandoned. Expand my family, my Listener. Lead us to glory once again,_" the Night Mother's cold, but loving, voice answered. Lilliana smiled at her praise.

"Thank you for your praise, Mother. I will do what you ask of me."

She stood and turned to see Cicero standing behind her with a questioning look on his face.

"Mother has praised me for taking my rightful place and has asked me to expand our family, if that's what you're wondering," Lilliana informed.

"That _was _what Cicero was wondering! He is so glad that things are working out!" Cicero answered.

"I am, too. Now, that letter from Motierre . . ." Lilliana muttered as she dug around in her pocket for the letter. "'You must attend the upcoming wedding at the Temple of the Divines in Solitude. The bride must be given a gift she will never forget, one that will get all of Solitude talking and which will, undoubtedly, reach the ears of the Leader himself.'," Lilliana read. "Hm, that means this 'Leader' is the Emperor, and this 'bride' is someone close to the Emperor, and she needs to die. I'm going to go ask the others if they have any knowledge on the Temple or this 'bride' that will help us."

"A bride for the bride of Sithis! Seems most fitting . . ." Cicero commented as he followed Lilliana out of the room.

"The irony . . ."

Everyone, except for Astrid and Arnbjorn, was gathered in the dining room. Nazir and Gabriella were leaning over pieces of parchment while Festus and Babette were deep in a discussion. Veezara was happily polishing daggers.

"All right, guys, I have even more to say now!" Lilliana started from atop a chair. "In Motierre's letter, he says that there is to be a wedding at the Temple of the Divines in Solitude in a few weeks and we need to murder the bride. He doesn't mention a name, though. The bride is obviously someone close to the Emperor so when she dies, his attention will be drawn to here. I need you guys to work on finding out as much as you can about the wedding, bride, and possible escape routes out of the Temple. I've never been to Solitude, so I'm clueless. Anyone know anything?"

"I've been there many times," Babette started. "There's a balcony overlooking the Temple courtyard. That's probably where the bride will speak to her guests, and she will. It's custom. Over the balcony, there's a loose gargoyle. It could easily 'fall'."

"I like it . . ." Lilliana said with an evil grin. "What about the bride?"

"I heard about a wedding when I was in Solitude about a week ago," Veezara explained. "The Emperor's cousin, Vittoria Vici, is getting married. She is our target."

"Hm," Lilliana mumbled. "Is that all?"

Silence.

"Great. I'll get to work."

**oOo**

"The Dragonborn really _is _the ultimate dragonslayer, then," Eorlund said, gazing at the three bags of bones and scales Oliver handed him.

"It was no easy task," Oliver informed, sitting on the edge of the Skyforge.

"While you were gone, I managed to make this." Eorlund held up a small, dragonbone dagger. "The bones of a dragon make fine weapons. I think, with a bit more experimenting, I can make some fine pieces of weapons and armor with them."

"I'll help. I want to make sure what we make for Lilly is the best."

"You underestimate me, lad?"

"Of course not. I just want to add some personal touches."

Eorlund chuckled.

"Have fun with the bones. I need to go see what I missed when I was gone," Oliver said and stood.

"Thank you for getting them for me."

"No problem."

Oliver descended the steps of the Skyforge and found Farkas and Vilkas sparring in the training yard. They looked as if they had been going at it for a while, but both were determined to win. A small crowd had gathered under the porch, the rest of the Companions cheering and even making bets on which brother would win.

"Harbinger!" he heard behind him. He turned to see Aela walked toward him, a huge man and a small woman following her.

_More recruits? _Oliver thought.

"More recruits," she informed. "They came to us yesterday."

"I'm Chanra," the woman started. "This is Iros."

Iros didn't say anything.

"You okay?" Oliver asked.

"He doesn't talk," Chanra informed. "He signs."

Iros then made some gestures with his hands that Oliver assumed was signing.

"He said it's nice to meet you and he would love if you let us join," Chanra said. "We've heard about you a lot and it's really good, how you destroyed those witches."

"Oh, well," Oliver looked the two up and down. "You both look like you are very strong. How do you fight?"

"Iros uses a sword and a shield. I use a sword and a destruction spell. I hope the magic is okay, but I can stop if you don't allow it," Chanra said.

"Some of us aren't comfortable with it very much, so only use it when necessary. Just don't burn Jorrvaskr down," Oliver chuckled. "Do you fight as a team?"

"Aye," Chanra answered.

"I'll get Farkas and Vilkas to test your mettle when they are done sparring. I think that'll be pretty soon, now," Oliver said, glancing at the two brothers, still going at it, but slowing down just a bit.

"They've been going at it for almost an hour," Aela remarked from behind.

"They don't give up, do they?" Chanra asked.

"None of us ever do. We don't just quit," Oliver informed with a smile.

Iros signed something again.

"He says he's rooting for the smaller one," Chanra informed with a chuckle of her own.

"Vilkas? No, I think my bet would be on Farkas," Aela remarked. "Ice-brain . . ."

"Bad bet, Aela!" Vilkas hollered.

"Ha!" Ria exclaimed from the other side of the porch.

"You thought that was funny?" Oliver asked through his own laughter.

"I did . . ." Ria murmured.

"I think we're all getting closer somehow . . ." Oliver muttered as he walked back into Jorrvaskr.

**oOo**

**All right, guys! I'm so sorry about the delay. I've had quite the writer's block for this while my muse has been obsessing over Loki. I'm not proud. But I finally finished this! It's shorter, I know, but I hope you liked it! Please PM or review if you have a comment and check out my profile if you want to read what my Loki muse has been producing. The next chapter will be up soon, I hope!**

**-Rayne**


	11. Let's Get This Started

Lilliana strode out of the Night Mother's chambers, many sheets of parchment in her hand. Cicero followed happily, having been helping Lilliana handle everything. Surprisingly, he was good at it, possibly better than Lilliana.

They entered the training area of the sanctuary. Veezara was sitting on the floor in his usual fashion.

"Veezara, I need you to head to Solitude a few days before the wedding to check out the layout of the Temple. You can bring a partner, if you wish. It doesn't matter who," Lilliana informed the Shadowscale.

"Will do," he answered. "Do I need to report back with the results?"

"Aye. I want to know what we're dealing with. Leave whenever you're ready; sooner more than later. Who knows how much time we need to prepare with everything."

"I'm on it," Veezara informed and stood. He began to make his way to the sleeping area.

"What now?" Lilliana asked Cicero.

"We fix up Mother's chambers!" he said happily and scurried up the stairs. Lilliana followed hastily.

"I was planning on that. I already have the things we need," Lilliana informed as she entered the chambers. Three boxes sat in the corner.

"And Lilly thinks she is not cut out to be the Listener when she cares so greatly for Mother and her family! Cicero is certainly glad Mother chose _her _instead of that _Pretender _Astrid. . ." Cicero ranted as he pried a box open.

"I'm starting to believe it." Lilliana opened another box and began to help Cicero move the broken pews and junk out of the room.

**oOo**

Oliver sat on the back porch of Jorrvaskr, watching Iros and Chanra train with Farkas. Both had proven themselves to be powerful warriors. One thing that interested Oliver was that Chanra used a Forsworn sword. Only the toughest of the tough would dare to go against the Reachmen and only a fraction of those would survive. Unless she somehow stole it, she and Iros must have been _very _good at fighting Forsworn. He would have to ask her how she got it.

Just then, Chanra and Iros came walking toward him, done with their session.

"Hey, Chanra, can I ask you something?" Oliver asked.

"Sure. Fire away," she answered.

"Where did you get that sword? You two must be talented fighters if you got that from the Forsworn."

"I knew my backstory would have to be told sooner or later . . ." she muttered, sitting down across from Oliver, Iros doing the same. "I am the daughter of two Forsworn Briarhearts. I never fit in with the rest of my camp and was always fascinated with the Dwemer as a girl. Everyone hated me for not being interested in their 'Plight', so I faked interest so they would teach me how to fight. That's how I got this," she gestured to her sword, "And how I learned extensive magic. When I came of age, I left them to explore Dwemer ruins."

"How'd you meet him?" Vilkas asked from behind, gesturing to Iros. It seemed he, and many other Companions, had been listening to Chanra's story.

"In a Dwarven ruin, actually," she responded. "I was being attacked by a Centurion and, well, it wasn't going very well. Iros saved me. We've been friends ever since."

Iros tapped Chanra on the shoulder and signed something to her.

"Okay, I'll translate," she said. Iros began to sign again. "He says 'I was surprised that she knew how to sign at first, but once she told me her story, I was glad I saved her.'"

"Did you ever ask why he doesn't talk?" Farkas asked.

"I did, a lot, at first. I don't think he wants to talk about it. He never answered."

Iros narrowed his eyes at the ground.

"Oh . . ." Farkas murmured.

Chanra nodded her head and stood to walk away, Iros following her.

_It seems we have a mystery to solve . . . _Oliver thought.

**oOo**

"But the Listener _always_ has their own room!" Cicero pleaded with Lilliana. She huffed.

"There is no other room for me to take!" she exclaimed, leaning back against the walls of the Night Mother's chambers. "Babette is the oldest and possibly the most respected member of our family. I'm not making her sleep with everyone else. I'm not taking your room. You're the Keeper, which means you get your own room. It's yours." She lowered her voice and leaned forward. "It's probably a good thing that Arnbjorn and Astrid have their own room so much farther from where everyone else sleeps. Between her whore-like demeanor and him being a literal beast, I bet they have some of the most bed-shattering sex of all time. Putting them with everyone else would make all of us cranky. Besides, Astrid is a Speaker. They get their own rooms, too. I'm fine in the sleeping area. There's nowhere else to put another room, anyway."

"Yes there is!"

"Where?"

"At the end of the hall! It just stops!"

"Who would we even get to do that job?"

"Cicero is sure Nazir knows of someone! He has someone for everything!"

"You're probably right . . ." Lilliana muttered as she stood. It was funny how just minutes ago, she didn't want or feel that she even needed her own room, and now, Cicero had convinced her that she did. Frankly, she didn't even know why she was heading to the kitchen to ask Nazir if he knew anyone. She just was. It _would _be nice to be the leader and have a gigantic room, though.

"Nazir!" she called as she descended the stairs to the kitchen. The Redguard looked up. "I need to talk to you!"

"What is it?" he asked.

"Do you know of a guy that can add an extra room to the sanctuary? Cicero keeps bugging me saying that I need one."

"Heh, I'd get the room too if I were you. I wouldn't be able to handle him bugging me," Nazir chuckled. "Try Delvin Mallory in Riften. He has history with us, and you should know him."

"I do. I know exactly who he is. Veezara left yesterday, didn't he?"

"Right."

"Then, I should be back before him. You and Astrid are in charge while I'm gone." Lilliana turned to leave.

Behind her, Nazir had a surprised look on his face, but it didn't show in his voice. "Thank you, Listener. Have a safe trip."

"Kill well, and often, my brother."

**oOo**

"Cicero never understood thieves, really," Cicero said as he and Lilliana entered Riften a day later, both wearing normal clothes. "Take someone's things _before _you kill them? And they call me crazy . . ."

"It's actually kind of fun," Lilliana told him as they turned at the gates to the Temple of Mara. "The thrill of not being seen is so . . . exciting. But then again, that's what I thought before I realized being an assassin suited me better. Now, I think otherwise."

The cemetery was filled with Nightshade and other flowers, like usual. Lilliana glanced at her mother's tombstone, saying her silent "hellos" and whatnot as she trudged towards the secret entrance to the Cistern. She pushed the button on the stone coffin and watched as it slid back, revealing a staircase.

"Ohh, _fancy_!" Cicero exclaimed when he took a look at the entrance. Lilliana chuckled as she descended the stairs.

"That's what I thought when I first saw it, too."

Inside the Cistern, everything and everyone was busy. Mercer wasn't at his desk, and was nowhere to be seen. The rest of the thieves chattered nervously. Something was wrong. Lilliana spotted Brynjolf walking toward Mercer's desk.

"Bryn!" she called, making her way toward him. He looked up and smiled.

"Lass! How's the Brotherhood treating you?"

"Pretty good. Turns out, I'm their Listener. Now, I'm the boss."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not."

"You go there, and after a month, you're running the place! I'm proud of ya, lass." Brynjolf smiled and gave her a one-armed hug, which she gladly returned.

"What's going on here? Everyone seems nervous."

Brynjolf's smile faded. "Mercer and Renaye left two days ago. No one knows where they went. After you left, Renaye was sent to Solitude to talk to a Gulum-Ei. He was a broker for whoever was involved in Honningbrew and Goldenglow. She tracked him down and got him to tell her that Karliah was the one behind all of it."

At the mention of the "Karliah", Brynjolf got the nastiest look on his face.

"Who's Karliah?" Lilliana asked.

"She's the one who murdered Mercer's predecessor, Gallus. She's a traitor," Brynjolf sneered.

"You think Renaye and Mercer went to look for her?"

"Maybe. I hope they're okay . . ."

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

Brynjolf changed the subject. "So, why are you here?"

"I need to talk to Delvin, to see if he can make some changes to our Sanctuary."

"Delvin can definitely do that. He can hire men to fix up anything," Brynjolf said, following Lilliana and Cicero to the Flagon. Lilliana was surprised that Cicero had kept quiet this long.

"That's good. I'm sure he'll be getting lots of good business out of us in the near future."

"I've got to go, lass," Brynjolf said when they reached the door. "Mercer's job isn't that easy, and I have to do it while he's gone. Make sure to tell me bye on your way out."

"I will." Lilliana turned and pushed the door open as Brynjolf turned and began to walk back to Mercer's desk.

"It's good that the Listener is friends with the thieves. They're very resourceful," Cicero commented as they entered the Flagon.

"Is, isn't it? I'm glad."

Delvin was sitting in his usual spot, reading over some papers. Lilliana silently walked up and sat down across from him without a word and waited until he noticed her to start speaking.

"Ah, Lilly! What can I do for ya?" he asked, a slight smile on his face.

"Hire some men to add another room to our Sanctuary," she said simply, holding up a bag that was full of septims. Delvin's eyes widened.

"You get right to the point, don't ya? Yeah, I can do that. I'll get some of my best men, send them out there. You won't have to worry 'bout a thing."

"Fix it up real nice, a couple wardrobes, a big bookshelf, weapons rack. The works. Make it fit for a king. No, fit for a god. I'm sure this will cover it." Lilliana smirked and slid the bag toward him.

"Certainly. Will do," Delvin said and took the bag. "They'll be there in a week, at the most."

"Good. Pleasure doing business with you." Lilliana smiled and stood from her seat. She turned and made her way to Tonilia.

"Heh, that was good, what you did with Delvin," she commented as Lilliana approached.

"That's what I was going for. Now, I have some things for you." Lilliana handed her a bag of various trinkets that she didn't exactly own and put her hands behind her back, waiting.

After Tonilia rummaged around in the bag for a moment, she looked up. "I'll give you a thousand septims."

"Deal."

"C'mon." Tonilia stood and made her way to the back room of the Flagon, the same one that Lilliana got her set of Thieves Guild armor in. She opened a chest and pulled out four good-sized coin purses. Lilliana took them.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"C'mon, Cicero," Lilliana ordered her jester companion, who was strangely quiet the whole time.

Once they were back outside, she spoke.

"I'm surprised at how quiet you were in there."

"Cicero was observing. Trading seems to be one of the Listener's top skills! Such a silver tongue!"

Lilliana grinned. "Thanks."

"Where to now?" Cicero asked. It was mid-day, and there was nothing Lilliana needed to do.

"There's nothing I need to do. What do you want to do?"

"Whatever the Listener wants to do!" Cicero exclaimed.

Lilliana huffed and leaned against the city wall.

"I heard of a nearby skooma operation, just a little ways northwest of here. Want to go kill some bandits and get some skooma?" she asked Cicero. He nodded happily.

"To Redwater Den, then."

**oOo**

Oliver trudged up the steps to the Skyforge with a bag of smithing materials. He was wearing an old tunic and leather pants, with a dagger strapped to his side. Today was the day that he would start helping Eorlund with the forging of Lilliana's dragon weapons and armor.

When he had told the rest of the Companions about his idea, most had mixed opinions. Ria and Chanra thought it was sweet of him to go to such levels for a woman he hadn't seen in months. Of course, Iros and Chanra had heard the story about what happened between him and Lilliana quickly. It was one of the first things Ria told them. Njada thought Oliver was wasting his time. Tilma was with Chanra and Ria, thinking it was sweet. Farkas, Vilkas, Athis, and Torvar seemed to not care either way. If they did, they didn't show it. Oliver thought it was a good idea, of course.

It was Sundas. Eorlund wouldn't be there until one in the afternoon. Oliver was sure he would be fine by himself.

He took the unfinished pieces of armor and observed them. The boots and gauntlets were mostly done, except for a few touches that Oliver wasn't skilled enough to do yet. The chestplate's base was done, and the grieves hadn't been made yet. He took the chestplate and began to mold the scales onto the fur and leather of the base.

**oOo**

Lilliana peered around a corner in the depths of Redwater Den. Vampires paced through the room ahead of her and Cicero.

When she and Cicero had entered the small, underground room that was Redwater Den, they found a huge skooma operation at work. It was special skooma, too. She could tell. _When you've been trapped in a cave with your "masters" making skooma for most of your life, you learn a lot about the stuff, _she had thought.

When she and Cicero investigated the room further, they found an entrance to a back room. They were able to slip through unnoticed, to find a bigger cave where the skooma was made, which was filled with vampires. With the assassins being skilled in their work, all of the bloodsuckers died swift, quiet deaths. Lilliana took as many bowls of moon sugar, potions, ingredients, and vials of skooma that she could before they moved on.

As they got further into the caves, they found that there _was_, in fact, something different about the skooma. Apparently, there was a spring deeper inside the caves that, when added to the skooma, would somehow turn the drinker into the thrall of the vampire. _Interesting, _Lilliana had thought.

Now, they were at the entrance to a bigger room. Vampires were all around them, but they didn't see Lilliana and Cicero. Lilliana pulled an elven arrow from her quiver and began to rapidly shoot at the undead, striking most in either the head or the heart. What didn't fall before she was noticed began to sprint toward her and Cicero. He sprang into action, slashing at them with his dagger, ducking under their spells and planting small cuts and blows on them when he did.

What Lilliana had seen of Cicero's fighting skill impressed her. She knew he must have been a seasoned killer, but she was still amazed as his agility and nimbleness. Maybe she could persuade him to teach her a few things.

While Lilliana continued to carefully shoot at their enemies when she had a clear shot, Cicero gained on his opponents, making them back up rapidly. It was too late when she noticed that there was a trap door right behind Cicero, and his opponent was about to fall in.

"Cic-!" she started, but just as she did, the vampire fell back into the hole, and Cicero, who was in the middle of swinging his dagger, fell right in on top of him. A shriek sounded from the hole. It was Cicero's. Lilliana shot the final vampire down and rushed to the hole.

The sight she saw horrified her. The vampire was impaled through the middle with a spike. Luckily, Cicero hadn't landed directly on one, but his arm did.

"Cicero!" she almost shrieked, but she thought better of it. Vampires _did _have excellent hearing. She looked around frantically, and spotted a staircase a little ways away that was going down.

Once she was at the bottom and down the hall, she found a mangled-looking Cicero clutching his right wrist. Lilliana ran up and kneeled next to him. He was deathly pale, and laying in a pool of his own blood. She had seen a lot, but this was what scared her the most.

A whimpering noise came from Cicero, but Lilliana shushed him and began to rummage through her pack. She found the strongest healing potion and handed it to him.

"Drink," she commanded as she rolled up her sleeves. He did as she told. As he did, Lilliana watched as the bleeding from the gash in his wrist subside a bit, and the hole close up, just a bit. She grabbed it, but gently, and closed her eyes.

Everything else was gone. No sound, no feeling, only healing. She focused her thoughts solely on her energy and mending the wound. With some experimenting, she had found that thinking of things that made her happy often let her energy come more easily, so she thought about how Babette taught her how to make potions, and Nazir's murder puns, and Festus's rambling about the Old Ways. She thought of how Cicero would bug her, but care at the same time. She couldn't let her best friend die. She could practically feel the energy pouring out of her.

But then, another thought popped into her head, one she had avoided for months now, and one she wanted to keep avoiding. The Companions. Oliver.

Her eyes snapped open, the energy stopped. Her hands started to shake. Some of Cicero's color had returned, and the bleeding had stopped, but there was still a hole in his wrist.

"Don't think about them. He tried to use you like those bandits did. Don't think about them," she muttered to herself and wiped her bloody hands on the pants of her armor. Lilliana found her bandages in her pack and wrapped them around his wrist.

"Can you stand?" she asked softly. She didn't want her voice to break. If that happened, her Thu'um might activate, and that didn't need to happen. She had never used the power of the Voice before. She didn't care to, but she knew that when she was feeling an extreme emotion, there was a danger of her Thu'um activating by itself. She didn't need that.

Cicero pushed himself up with a grunt, but quickly fell back down. He shook his head no. Lilliana couldn't believe he was being quiet, even in this state.

She put her head in her hands. She and Cicero were stuck in a hole, surrounded by vampires and skooma addicts, Cicero couldn't walk, and thoughts of her past life were plaguing her. Worst of all, she didn't know how to heal Cicero any further or make him able to walk. There was no way he could fight, and Lilliana wouldn't dare to face a whole den of vampires by herself.

And now, she truly knew what it felt like to be "stuck".

**oOo**

**Hi! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I've been having some family problems and am having quite the time trying to get them straightened out. No worries, though. I will keep writing. I'm already a couple pages into the next chapter as I write this. School's been rough and I've been really busy. Remember to review with your thoughts! I love reading the comments! Love you guys!**

**-Rayne**


	12. And, It Starts

Lilliana crept up the stairs, back into the main room. Cicero was still stuck in the hole, and couldn't get out.

_There has to be something here that can help him! _she thought frantically. Then, she remembered. In the room before the one she was in now, there were some alchemy labs. She could use some ingredients to make a strong healing potion.

The cavern of a room was empty, leaving Lilliana alone to do her work. She scanned the shelves of ingredients. _Blue flowers, wheat, blisterwort, pine thrush egg, torchbug thorax, bear claws . . . _she thought dully. She could use those to make a healing and stamina potion.

She took them and began to grind them up hastily, pouring water in every so often. Once she had a paste, she sat some of it aside and began working on turning the rest into a liquid. When it was done, she took both bowls, not bothering to bottle them, and rushed back into the other room and down the stairs. Cicero was still there, clutching his arm.

"Drink this," she commanded and handed Cicero the bowl containing the liquid. He took it and began to sip.

"Ugh, Listener, couldn't you have made it taste better?" he asked quietly.

"No," Lilliana snapped. "Just drink. It'll make you feel better." Cicero obeyed. Lilliana took his arm and began to unwrap the bandages. A wince came from him, but he didn't try to stop her. She took a glob of the paste and smeared it across the gash.

Now, Cicero squeaked and flinched. "It burns!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it would," Lilliana answered as she rewrapped the bandages.

"Cicero _does _feel better, though," he said, stumbling to his feet.

"Can you walk?"

Cicero nodded.

"Good. What about fighting?"

Cicero moved his wrist and arm around, then made a sour face. He shook his head.

"Dammit, we still need to get out of here," Lilliana whispered. She began to sneak back up the stairs, Cicero following her.

Lilliana shot down vampire after vampire, plating arrows in unbeating hearts and lifeless skulls. Everything was going fine until they came upon the last room. A master vampire strolled through rows of coffins. Lilliana assumed that this was where they slept.

She took an arrow and readied it. She pulled the string back as far as she could, and aimed at the head of the vampire. She let go.

It flew across the room, whizzing through the air, alerting the vampire. He turned just in time to get an arrow in the face. He fell to the ground, dead.

"All _right_," Lilliana whispered. She approached the vampire and searched his pockets. Septims, a sapphire, and a pouch of vampire dust. _I wonder how they get this . . . _Lilliana thought, holding the pouch.

They continued on to another room. It looked like a lab of some sort. A vampire, a powerful one, by the looks of it, worked at an enchanter's table, while two other, weaker-looking, vampires, stood guard.

"I'll take down the one at the enchanter's table. Distract the others," Lilliana told Cicero.

He nodded and began to do some odd gestures with his left hand. Before she could ask what he was doing, a plate flew across the room and smashed into the face of a vampire. A screech echoed throughout the room and both the guards began running amuck, trying to figure out where the plate came from. Meanwhile, Lilliana fired arrows at the other one, weakening it. He, too, began to search for her and Cicero. If the situation hadn't been so dangerous, Lilliana probably would have laughed at the vampires running around, scared out of their wits. It was quite funny.

As Cicero continued to make things fly across the room, Lilliana managed to bring the other vampires down and finally kill the one Cicero smashed with a plate. Once it was over, she looked to Cicero, who had a malicious grin on his face.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"Telekinesis! It's how Cicero moves Mother's coffin," Cicero answered.

"Teach me how to do that sometime. It might come in handy." Lilliana sifted through the contents of a chest. After taking the loot from the place, Lilliana opening a door that lead to possibly the creepiest thing she had ever seen.

A fountain, or spring-like thing was gushing red water all over the place. When she looked closer, she noticed that it was too thin to be actual blood. But what was it? _This must be what they put in the skooma to make it special. It seems like a pretty interesting thing to keep note of, _Lilliana thought, standing back up and looking to Cicero.

"Remind me to remember this place," she said before continuing on to a secret entrance back into the main room.

Once she and Cicero emerged, the attendant and seller both shouted and lunged toward them. Lilliana dropped her bow and unsheathed her elven dagger. She ducked to avoid a strike from the server and planted a cut in her stomach. She kneeled over, giving Lilliana the perfect opportunity to stab her in the neck. After she made sure the woman was dead, she looked up to Cicero, who was beating the attendant to death with his own sword.

_So . . . Cicero-like, _she thought.

**oOo**

Oliver walked into Dragonsreach to answer the Jarl's summons.

"Ah, Dragonborn. It's good to see you again," Balgruff said when he approached the throne.

"You summoned me?" Oliver asked.

"I did. A letter came for you, addressed to here," he answered, holding the letter out.

"Who brought it?" Oliver inquired, scanning the seal. He didn't recognize it.

"A hooded woman wearing leather armor. Couldn't see her face. She claimed to know you, and said to give it to you and only you."

Oliver raised his eyebrows and turned the letter over in his hands.

"That all?" he asked dully.

"Aye. Thank you for coming so quickly," Balgruff said with a smile. Oliver liked how he could talk to the leader of Whiterun hold like he was an old friend.

He left the palace and made he was back to Jorrvaskr. Sounds of steel ringing against steel filled his ears and smoke wafted down from Eorlund's forge. Oliver had gotten used to the sounds and smells. It felt like home, now.

Back in his room, he opened the letter and began to read.

_Oliver,_

_It took me quite a while to track you down. You never told me where you lived when we last saw each other._

_I've figured out a plan. Meet me in Riverwood at the usual spot._

_-D_

"Who-?" Oliver muttered, "Oh, Delphine. That's right . . ."

Oliver almost couldn't believe that he forgot about his deal with Delphine. They travelled to Kynesgrove together to kill the dragon, the one that attacked Helgen, was raising others from the dead. Delphine seemed to think that the Thalmor had something to do with it. She must have figured out a way to get into the embassy.

So, that meant he would be taking a trip to Riverwood's Sleeping Giant Inn tomorrow.

**oOo**

Two days later, Lilliana and Cicero arrived at the sanctuary. The wedding was in two weeks. Veezara should have been back any time, now.

"Cicero must oil Mother!" Cicero ran off as soon as they stepped inside.

"Be careful with your hand," Lilliana called after him, "You don't need to make it bleed!"

Astrid sat at the table in the briefing room, doing something with some parchment. She looked up and shot an icy glare at Lilliana as she walked by. If looks could kill, Lilliana would very well be dead. _Seems that she's going to pout about her new position, _she thought.

Arnbjorn hammered away at his forge, working on a sword. He didn't look up as Lilliana passed by. Festus worked on an enchantment, Babette read a book, and Gabriella grinded ingredients at the alchemy table. Babette looked up and gave Lilliana a small smile before going back to her book. Festus didn't do anything, and Gabriella murmured a greeting, not looking up from her work. Wonderful smells filled her nose when she entered the kitchen. Nazir stirred something in the pot over the flame. When he saw Lilliana approach, he put down his ladle and turned to face her.

"Welcome back, Listener," he said, "How was Riften?"

"Good. Mallory agreed to send some men to make the room. They should be here in a couple days. Cicero and I disrupted a damn good skooma operation. He hurt his wrist pretty badly, though. There was a spring there that supposedly had some kind of mind control capabilities. They were making special skooma that turned their addicts into their thralls. We should remember that," Lilliana explained. Nazir listened intently.

"Interesting," he said, "That could come in handy."

"I hope so. Any word from Veezara?"

"No. He should be back any time, though."

"Good," she glanced over his shoulder. "What'cha cooking?"

"A dish from the Gourmet. The Potage de Magnifique," Nazir explained.

"Who did what?"

Nazir chuckled. "The Gourmet. He's the best chef in Tamriel. Well, he could be a _she _for all we know. No one knows who he is. This is his most famous dish."

"I can see why. It smells like what happiness would smell like if it had a scent."

"Nice description."

**oOo**

Oliver entered Riverwood at around ten in the morning. He had left at eight, and the trip had taken him around two hours. The small village was lively, and its occupants chattered happily in various spots.

The inn was fairly empty, except for Orgnar, Sven, and Delphine, who was sweeping the floor. She looked up and her eyes widened at the sight of Oliver.

"You made it," she said. "Come. Close the door behind you."

He followed her into the room and closed the door behind him. Once they were in the secret room, Delphine began to speak.

"I've figured out how we're going to get you into the embassy-"

"You're not coming?" Oliver interrupted.

"Of course not. I'm on the Thalmor's most wanted list. I don't need to go there. Anyway, I have a contact that works in the embassy. He's going to sneak some of your gear in for you, and then, you go in. Elenwen, the Thalmor Ambassador of Skyrim, frequently holds parties for the rich and famous of Skyrim, and you fit that category. I've gotten you an invitation. All you need to do is make yourself look decent, go in, keep your mouth shut, and do what Malborn says. He's a Bosmer, plenty of reason to hate the Thalmor. You can trust him. Once you're in, you get past as many guards as you can, kill some if you have to, and get to Elenwen's office. Find her documents, and see what they're up to. Then. Get. Out."

"No."

"What?"

"I can't do that . . . yet."

"What are you talking about?"

Oliver sighed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I met someone after I saw you last time. Her name is Lilliana. She's Dragonborn, too."

"Well, why isn't she here? How do you know she's Dragonborn?"

"I saw her absorb a soul and learn a Word of Power. She's not here because she . . . left."

"Why? When is she coming back?" Oliver could see Delphine steadily get more irritated.

"I did some . . . wrong things and she left. I don't know when she's coming back. Hell, I don't even know if she _will_. She's more suited for that than I am, and I'm not doing any Dragonborn business without her. She's Dragonborn for a reason. I'm not letting her miss it."

Delphine huffed. "Dammit, Oliver! Quit being so thickheaded! This needs to be done! The dragons are coming back and only _you _can stop them—"

"So can Lilly! The Gods gave her the blood of a dragon for a reason! I'm not doing it without her!"

"We can't just sit around and wait on her!"

"We can, and we will. I'm only going through with your plan if Lilliana is there with me, are we clear? Good. Goodbye now."

Oliver didn't listen to Delphine as he stomped up the steps and out of the Inn.

"No regrets . . ." he muttered as he walked.

**oOo**

**This chapter was a little shorter, I know. How did you guys like that? Now, both Oliver and Lilliana will have things going for them. I'm slowly getting my muse back for this, thankfully. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts! I'm having so much fun writing this! I'm hoping you're enjoying reading it!**

**-Rayne**


	13. To My Dear Readers

Hello, my dear readers. I know I haven't updated in a while. Sadly, I have been battling severe depression, and can't seem to find inspiration to write. I still get the occasional follow or favorite or comment from one of you, and I've seen them. I love hearing your thoughts. I am so sorry, but because of my situation, my stories will be put on hold until further notice. Chapter 13 is in progress for Temper of a Dragon: Shadow Walker. Chapter 4 for A Different Kind of Goddess is in progress. Chapter 3 for Tumblr Really is Weird is in progress. If I finish one of these, I'll post it.

As for my status, I'm okay. I was doing just fine until January 5, 2015. (Great way to start out the year, huh?) I relapsed pretty badly and went through a really self-destructive period. I'm feeling better now, but I know I'll relapse again sometime. I can feel it. I've gotten into a "emo" band called My Chemical Romance. I could be considered emo, I guess. Oh well. I'm not a box. Don't label me. I have friends that keep me going. Also, I would like to thank **Vanguard of Ascension **so much for his support when I told him about this. I thank you all for reading my stories as well. It means so much to me. If you read up to this point, thank you for reading. I'll update sometime soon, hopefully.

Oh, side note, if ANY of you are suffering from anxiety or depression or self-harm or anything of the sort, don't hesitate to PM me. I'll listen to you, and try my best to make you feel better. I'm not a therapist, but I might can offer some words of wisdom. Stay strong, my dear readers.

-Rayne


	14. The Beginning of The End

"All right, Lilly. Seems everything's in order," Delvin said to Lilliana at the entrance to the Sanctuary. The men had arrived to build the new room.

"Thanks, Delvin. They know to follow our instructions, right?" Lilliana asked, eyeing the men behind Delvin.

"Of course they do." Delvin scoffed. "I told ya I'd get the best, and I did."

"All right, I'm sorry I ever doubted you," Lilliana said sarcastically. "Come on, I'll show you what you need to do." The men picked up their bags and followed Lilliana into the sanctuary.

As they neared the end of the hall, Lilliana turned to face them. "I want the entrance to be here," she gestured to the end of the hall. "I know Delvin made some plans for the room, so I'll let him take it from here."

As Delvin began to talk, Lilliana started to make her way to the Night Mother's chambers. Cicero was waiting for her inside.

"Delvin knows not to let them in here," she told him. "And to make you feel better, I'll put another lock on the doors. I've got everyone looking for strange behavior amongst the men and not a single one of us will let them near here, okay?"

"Cicero will still guard Mother!" Cicero protested.

"I know. It's our job as Keeper and Listener to protect her. I've got Nazir guarding the door closest to the briefing room. You and I can take the one by your room, okay?"

"Good plan, Listener," Cicero commented.

"I don't want anything getting close to Mother."

"To even set foot in her chambers would be a suicide mission!" Cicero confirmed as he sat down in front of the door beside Lilliana.

"They wouldn't even make it through the door."

**oOo**

Oliver entered Jorrvaskr with an irritated look on his face. Delphine had gotten to him. Her words did, at least. What if Lilliana really didn't come back? Oliver could only hope. It had been almost four months since she had left. This Dragonborn business probably couldn't be avoided for much longer, but Oliver was not going to do it alone. Lilliana was Dragonborn, too.

He needed to find her.

He ignored the stares of confusion from some of the whelps as he stomped down the stairs to the quarters. He could hear Farkas's and Vilkas's lively banter as he made his way to his room. Once the door was closed, the voices were only incoherent noises to him.

The map of Skyrim was open for Oliver when he sat down at his desk. Riften was the first, obvious choice. That was the rumored home of the Thieves Guild, and Lilliana already had some ties to the Guild. That was defiantly the first place Oliver would head to.

He would start tomorrow.

Aela would try to stop him, he knew. He wouldn't let her. This needed to be done. Lilliana needed to come home.

**oOo**

"I need two volunteers to come with me to Solitude," Lilliana announced once she had everyone's attention.

The Brotherhood was gathered in the dining room. Construction was still being done on the new room. It had been two days. Veezara had arrived yesterday with news about the layout of the wedding. There were many plans that could be done. There was, in fact, a gargoyle that could easily "fall" and kill the bride, and a ledge that an archer could shoot from. Someone could poison the cake, but that would kill everyone.

Lilliana had been thinking, and the only time that the gargoyle could fall on Victoria was when she would stand on the balcony to speak to her guests, and the archer on the ledge would have a great angle on her when she's on the balcony as well. Of course, if Victoria died during a speech to her guests, it would cause much more of an uproar.

"Cicero wants to come!" Cicero exclaimed.

"Don't you have to tend to Mother? I thought you were guarding her?" Lilliana questioned from her raised platform.

"The workers are outside taking a break. Cicero tended to Mother yesterday, and if we leave tomorrow like you say, Cicero will get back in time to tend to her again!"

"All right, fine." Lilliana scanned the crowd. "Anyone else want to come?"

"I would," Babette started from her spot in the front. "But the ceremony is during the day. That would not work well for me at all."

Silence.

"Anyone?" Lilliana asked again.

"I'll do it," Gabriella said. "It appeals to me."

"Good. Everyone else, you can leave, unless you want to come, too. We'll need all the help we can get," Lilliana announced. Apparently, no one else wanted to, because they all left. "All right then. Gabriella and Cicero, hm? I can work with that. I'll speak with you later when I come up with a plan. If you have an idea, tell me. I love suggestions."

"Of course, Listener!" Cicero chirped before exiting the room. Gabriella nodded and made her way back to the arcane room.

Everything was falling into place.

**oOo**

"Where are you going?" Aela asked from behind. Oliver was facing the doorway of Jorrvaskr, pack on his back, ready to leave. Unfortunately, Aela had found him before he could escape.

"Riften," he said simply as he reached for the handle again. Aela's hand stopped his.

"For what?"

"Business."

Aela's eyes narrowed. Oliver narrowed his back at her.

"You're looking for Lilly, aren't you?"

"Of course not!"

"I can tell you're lying, you know."

"Gods dammit . . ."

Aela smirked. "I won't stop you."

That caught Oliver off-guard. "What?"

"It's been almost four months. She needs to come back. We're all missing her." The smile disappeared from Aela's face and was replaced with a look of concern.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. Now, if you'll kindly let go of my arm and allow me to exit, I might find her faster."

"My apologies . . ." Aela said as she quickly allowed him to pass.

"No problem."

Oliver nodded to the guards posted at the gates of the city when he passed. They did not question his business. He had learned that being Harbinger came with many perks. Admittance through doors without question was a big thing he liked.

His horse was at the stables, clean and fed, right where he left him last. Oliver strapped his bags to the saddle and climbed on.

"To Riften, for Lilly," he said to himself as he pulled on the reins, making the horse trot forward.

**oOo**

**This chapter is shorter, I know. I had to finish the last part. Thanks to **Skogsskimmer **for giving me the inspiration! His (or her?) comments are the best! I'm going to try my hardest to finish chapter 14. I have so much planned but I'm not exactly sure how to write it all out. Thank you guys for reading and baring (or is it bearing?) with me through the depression thing . . . It got better for a while but I saw some family members today and they always depress me. I'll be okay.**


	15. A Bride For Sithis

Oliver's feet landed on the ground outside Riften. He handed a few septims to the man who ran the stables and began to walk toward the gates. The city inside smelled of fish and . . . crime. Yes, crime. _I wonder what crime would smell like specifically . . . _Oliver thought to himself as he made his way to the marketplace.

The last time Oliver was in Riften, he was with Lilliana. She talked to . . . a redheaded man that ran a market stall. Oliver scanned the market stalls. One was empty. One had a brunette woman selling armor, the other had an Argonian selling jewelry. _Where's the redhead? _he thought.

The Argonian looked up at Oliver as he approached.

"Can I interest you in some fine Argonian craftsmanship?" he asked Oliver.

"I'm sorry, but I actually just have a question," Oliver explained. "Isn't there a redheaded man that runs one of those other stalls?"

The Argonian's voice turned sour. "You mean Brynjolf? That man hasn't done one day of honest work in his life."

"Do you know where I can find him?"

"You'd might want to try the Ragged Flagon. It's down in the Ratways. Usually, I would tell others to avoid it, but you look like you can handle yourself down there. The place is full of cheaters and thieves. The Thieves Guild is holed up down there. Watch your step if you decide to look down there."

"Thank you." Oliver nodded to the Argonian. He walked past the stall and near the entrance to the Honorhall Orphanage. After he went down the steps, he was faced with the door to the Ratways. He pulled the door open and the stench of sewer hit him in the face. It was a foul smell. _Could Lilly really be down here? _

He pulled his greatsword out and began to walk forward. He passed two corpses that had already begun to rot. Oliver had to hold his breath until he was past them, for the stench was even worse. He came to a bridge to another room. He crossed, and found another corpse. He scanned the room and saw some steps leading down to a door.

Oliver approached the door and opened it slowly. He peered inside to find a room mostly filled with water at first glance, but he then noticed a tavern on the other side. He sheathed his sword and began to walk to the entrance, passing a couple alcoves filled with crates and cobwebs. _Do they not keep the place clean? _he wondered.

A man in leather armor sneered at Oliver when he approached. "No outsiders allowed. Why are you here?"

"I want to talk to Brynjolf. It's important." Oliver passed the man, ignoring his protests. He saw the redheaded man, Brynjolf, sitting at one of the tables. He approached him.

"You're Brynjolf? I need to talk to you."

"You're not supposed to be here, lad." Brynjolf looked tired. When Oliver looked around, he saw that most of the patrons did. They all wore similar armor. "What do you want?"

"Aren't you that friend of Lilliana's? I'm looking for her. I'm Oliver, Harbinger of the Companions."

"I remember you," Brynjolf said as his eyes widened. "You were the man with Lilly when she saw me that day. I'm sorry, but I haven't seen her since. She's gone?"

"Yes, she's gone. She's been gone for months. Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Oliver's werewolf senses told him that Brynjolf's words seemed shaky.

"I'm sure. I care about the lass. I want her to be found as much as you do. Did she run off?"

"She did." Oliver only picked up a slight disturbance in his words, so he decided not to push any further. "Well, thanks anyway. Do you have any idea where she could be?"

"Other than here, no."

"I think you're lying to me," Oliver snarled as he leaned closer to the redhead. He was about to grab the collar of his armor, but stopped when he saw that every patron in the tavern had drawn a weapon and was glaring at Oliver. He leaned back.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you, lad. You might be Harbinger of the Companions, but here, it's you against all of us. Not a smart plan. I care about Lilly just as much as you do. If I see her, I'll make sure to let you know. No need to get rough," Brynjolf said harshly.

"My apologies," Oliver muttered as he turned around and walked back toward the door he entered through. He was almost sure that Brynjolf was lying, but he also knew he wouldn't tell him the truth, either. He was thankful that he was able to stop himself from hurting Brynjolf. Lilliana would not have wanted that, and he needed to learn to control his anger, though most of it was from his inner wolf.

He would just have to keep looking.

**oOo**

The wedding was in two days. Lilliana, Gabriella, and Cicero were already over halfway to Solitude. They had been coming up with their plan on the way there.

They would dress as travelers to Skyrim's capital, having always wanted to see it. They would enter the city, let some time pass without drawing attention to themselves, then leave, making it look like they were heading to Dragon Bridge. They would then spend the night at the inn there and take another route to Solitude in the early hours of the morning and sneak into the city, wearing their usual Brotherhood clothes. Cicero would be the one to signal Gabriella and Lilliana. Gabriella would set up the gargoyle to fall when she casted a certain spell, and if that failed, Lilliana would be ready to fire a poisoned arrow from her spot on a ledge.

Their plan seemed secure. They had their escape planned, as well. Everything would go smoothly, hopefully.

**oOo**

It was midday when all three arrived at Solitude. The guards hardly even looked at them as they passed into the city. They wandered around, pretending to observe the city and be interested. Lilliana was off by herself in the residential district when a man approached her.

"Please, you have to help me find my master!" he pleaded with her.

"Hm? What are you talking about?" she asked, slightly startled.

"My master! He has abandoned me!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't have time right now," Lilliana explained. She honestly did want to help, but she really couldn't.

"Oh, can someone help me find my master!" the man seemed to yell at the sky.

_Odd, _Lilliana thought dully.

She continued her walking and came upon a house. It was decorated with flowers and other things of the sort. She looked at the front door.

The house belonged to the bride, the target.

Lilliana walked around to the back of the house and found a back door. She bent down and checked to see that no one was around, and began to pick the lock. The owner was about to die, so why not steal some of their things?

She entered the house quietly. The basement was mostly filled with food. The main floor had some septims in various cabinets, and some potions on shelves. On the second floor, in the bedroom, she found a safe filled with coinpurses and gems. She took them all, along with some other expensive-looking small weapons and trinkets. She estimated she had at least one to two thousand septims worth of things.

_What a steal, _she thought to herself.

**oOo**

The next day, just before dawn, the three assassins passed the Solitude lighthouse, taking the back way to Solitude. They came to a door, almost hidden in the rocks, leading up to the Solitude windmill. Lilliana pulled it open, and all three began to silently climb the stairs up to Solitude.

The sun was rising when they entered the city. Most were still in their homes, so they made their way to the wall of Solitude, arriving at the Temple unseen. They saw that preparations were being made to the Temple when they arrived. They all crouched behind a wall on a ledge that overlooked the courtyard where the wedding was held.

"Okay, I'll be on that ledge down there." Lilliana pointed to a ledge that gave her a perfect shot to where Victoria would be. "Since the gargoyle will fall on her while she's talking to her guests, it'll cause even more chaos. Cicero, I want you over there, behind that wall, where Gabriella can see you give the signal. We will all sneak out using the rooftops immediately after the assassination is carried out. We meet up at the windmill. Gabriella, you know what to do."

"That I do, Listener." Gabriella stood up and swiftly made her way to the gargoyle to prepare her part.

"Cicero is certain that this plan will work!" Cicero whispered to Lilliana excitedly, "Listener Lilliana did so well to come up with everything! Mother made such a good choice!"

Lilliana smiled. "Thank you, Cicero. To be honest, I'm pretty nervous about this."

"That's okay! It's natural to be nervous. Even Cicero gets nervous!" Cicero smiled at Lilliana.

"Thank you again, Cicero."

**oOo**

Lilliana was perched on her ledge, with her bow out and an arrow on the string. Her hood was over her head, and she scanned the scene. Guests mingled with each other. The bride and groom sat on their thrones. Guards patrolled. It seemed so peaceful, but not for long.

Victoria and her soon-to-be husband stood up and made their way to the balcony under the gargoyle. Lilliana saw Cicero give the signal, and then everything seemed to go in slow-motion.

Gabriella casted her spell from the shadows. The gargoyle fell. Victoria was crushed, literally. Cicero scampered away, along with Gabriella. The guards went ballistic. Lilliana turned and climbed up and ran across the top walkways above the courtyard. She jumped down to the residential district and ran along the wall to the windmill. Cicero and Gabriella were already there. They took cover inside, and Lilliana peered out.

"Were we followed?" Gabriella asked from behind.

"I don't think so," Lilliana answered, pulling her head back inside. They all made a break for the stairs back down. They had to move quickly, and make their way to their camp they had set up.

"Cicero is glad everything went smoothly!" Cicero whispered excitedly. "Mother will be proud!"

"I sure hope she is," Lilliana muttered.

**oOo**

Oliver's horse trotted along the road toward Markarth. He remembered that Lilliana had been interested in Markarth when he had been there with her before on a Companions job. He had been travelling non-stop, and he had been losing sleep. He needed to find Lilliana.

He had almost no clue of where to look, so, for now, he would continue to Markarth.

**oOo**

It had been two days since the assassination of Victoria Vici. Lilliana, Gabriella, and Cicero had been travelling non-stop back to the sanctuary when they had finally arrived.

"_What is the music of life?_" the black door asked Lilliana.

"Silence, my brother," she answered.

"_Welcome home._"

Astrid was in the briefing room, as usual. She glared at Lilliana as she passed. Gabriella stayed behind to tell Astrid how the assassination went. Lilliana and Cicero continued on to the Night Mother's chambers. No one disturbed them as they passed.

The door to the chambers were still locked, just as Lilliana had left them. She unlocked them and entered, Cicero following her. Everything was as they left it.

"Mother, we have completed our first step to the murder of the emperor," Lilliana told the Night Mother as she knelt in front of the coffin.

"_I know, my Listener. You did well. As your reward, I grant you the power to call upon a past Speaker, Lucien LaChance. He will fight by your side when you need him."_

"Thank you, Mother." Lilliana stood up and turned to Cicero. "She said we did well!"

"Goody! Cicero is glad we have pleased Mother!"

Lilliana left Cicero to tend to the Night Mother. She entered the kitchen and found Nazir.

"Gabriella told me how the murder went. Good job planning all that out! Couldn't have done it better myself. Your room is finished, by the way," he said with a smile.

"Someone's in a good mood," Lilliana remarked. "I totally forgot about my room, actually."

"Who wouldn't be in a good mood? This Brotherhood is finally looking up! Everything's running so smoothly. Why, I haven't seen Festus this happy in _years_!"

"Well . . . I didn't even know you, of all people, thought that, but thank you." Lilliana turned and made her way back up the steps. There was a new door at the end of the hallway, which meant her room was ready, just as Nazir said.

The room behind the door was huge. Delvin and his men did an excellent job, and they did it quickly, too.

Bookshelves lined the walls, along with some weapon racks. A bed stood in the back of the room with a couple of chests off to the side. Two mannequins stood in one of the corners. It was a room fit for her.

"Oh, Listener!" a shrill voice came from behind. "Can Cicero see your new room, too?"

"Go ahead," Lilliana mumbled and let Cicero in.

Cicero scanned the room with a look of awe.

"This is _exactly _the kind of room that a Listener needs! Cicero hopes the Listener enjoys her new room!"

Lilliana chucked at his excitement. "I most certainly will enjoy it. Now, I really want to change my clothes, so can you . . .?" she gestured to the door.

"Oh! Of course." Cicero scampered out of the room.

Lilliana wasn't quite sure if the red on Cicero's face was a trick of the light or a blush . . . _That thought is strangely flattering, _she thought to herself as she began to change out of her dirty clothes.

**oOo**

**Hello! I give you all so much thanks for being patient with me. I've had a lot going on. Recently, I've started to get some professional help for my depression, and that's kept me busy. Also, I'm going to be in high school next year, and I've been busy with exams and state tests and whatnot. Don't even get me started about everything I have to do to get into the high school marching band next year. I'm looking forward to it though! Maybe once I get further into the professional help, it'll become easier for me to write. I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the best. I tried very hard to make it good, though. **

**-Rayne **


	16. A Plan of Distraction

"We've taken care of Victoria Vici, just as the letter said. What's next . . ." Lilliana mumbled to herself as she read over the letter from Motierre. "_A certain high-ranking military officer, permanently stationed in Skyrim, is responsible for securing the Leader's safety should he choose to schedule a visit. When this officer learns of the Leader's journey, he will begin the necessary arrangements. You must learn this officer's plans, and meet with his people, to ensure appropriate security for your eventual audience with the Leader." _Lilliana was a bit confused. The Leader was obviously the Emperor, and an officer was planning to protect him. _The Penitus Oculatus are the ones that protect the Emperor . . . They're stationed in Dragon Bridge, _she thought to herself.

"Listener . . . You've been staring at that paper for a very long time. Is it really that interesting?" a voice rang out from behind her. Lilliana jumped.

"Cicero! You scared me," she said as she turned to look at him. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor behind her chair, looking up at her with a smile on his face. "No, it's not interesting. It's the letter from Motierre. I need to figure out who the leader of the Penitus Oculatus is in Skyrim. We need to distract him from his duties of protecting the Emperor."

"The Dunmer, Gabriella! She's very good at those things! Cicero is sure she could figure out a plan with the Listener!" Cicero stood.

"That's right . . . I'll go ask for her help. Thanks, Cicero."

"Humble Cicero lives to serve," Cicero said and bowed his head slightly.

"Oh c'mon, I don't need all that respect." Lilliana smiled and walked out of the room.

Gabriella was sitting at a table in the arcane room, reading a book. Lilliana sat down across from her.

"Do you need some help with something, Listener?" Gabriella asked, not looking up from her book.

"I do. I've read over this letter quite a few times, and all I've gotten is that I need to find the leader of the Penitus Oculatus, the soldier who's in charge of the Emperor's protection. I need to distract him from his duties, so we can safely get to the Emperor."

"Interesting," Gabriella looked up. "I already have an idea. I'll head to Dragon Bridge and see what the situation is."

"Oh, you don't have to do all that. I was just looking for advice," Lilliana protested.

"Thank you, Listener, but I want to do this."

"Then . . . Kill well, and often, sister."

**oOo**

Markarth had no leads to Lilliana's location. _Where else is there to go . . .? _Oliver thought to himself. He was on the road to Solitude.

"I don't remember if she ever said anything about Solitude . . . I'll check anyway," he mumbled. He remembered Vilkas telling him that he could report a missing Companion. All the Jarls would learn about it, and would report any sightings to the Companions. Since they had Skyrim's respect, Skyrim would help look for a missing Companion. Oliver knew that wasn't what Lilliana would want, but what if something happened to her? He needed to find her.

Search parties and missing person posters seemed like a bit too much to one part of Oliver, but the other half of him screamed for him to report it to Whiterun's Jarl. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. _Why do decisions have to be so hard . . .?_

**oOo**

Lilliana harvested Nightshade flowers outside the sanctuary in peace, which was very relaxing, strangely. Cicero was inside, tending to the Night Mother. Babette had asked if Lilliana could gather some flowers for her, since she could not be in the sunlight. Lilliana didn't have anything else to do, so she gladly agreed.

Birds that lived in the surrounding forest chirped and sang, and there was a slight breeze blowing. Now that she thought about it, it was very peaceful to her. She took a seat on the ground by the small pond outside the door and crossed her legs. The sky had almost no clouds, and it was a bright blue color. The air was warm, but not hot. It seemed like perfect weather.

That was, until, a drop of rain fell on Lilliana's nose, and footsteps approached her.

She sprang up and dropped her flowers. With her dagger unsheathed, she spun around to face the footsteps.

"Don't fret, Listener! It's just me," Gabriella exclaimed, slightly alarmed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I let myself get too relaxed, sitting out here," Lilliana explained, sheathing her dagger.

"It's okay. You should let yourself relax more often."

"Can't do that," Lilliana began as she bent down to pick up her flowers. "I'm the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, and we're on a mission to kill the emperor of Tamriel! This is no time for me to relax…"

"There's nothing wrong with a few minutes of relaxation," Gabriella said as she opened the door to the sanctuary.

"That may be true, but I'm not very good at that."

"Suit yourself. Are those flowers for Babette?"

"Yeah, she asked me to pick them for her since she can't get in the sun."

"Ah, Babette. She looks so small and frail, but-" Gabriella began as they entered the arcane room.

"What did you say?" Babette asked.

"But if you make her mad, she can drain your blood in a few seconds. I like it."

"Oh . . ." Babette trailed off. If she could blush, Lilliana was almost sure she would have. _Vampires don't have blood in their veins, do they . . .? _she thought to herself dully.

**oOo**

After Gabriella had rested from her trip some, she met Lilliana in the arcane room.

"So, what are we dealing with?" Lilliana asked her.

"Commander Maro is in charge of the Emperor's protection. His son, Gaius Maro, is going to journey to Solitude, Windhelm, Riften, Whiterun, and Markarth to inspect the security in each city before the Emperor's arrival. Killing Gaius will make Commander Maro distracted from his duties, but even more so if there is another component in this. On the way back, I came up with an idea. We could plant an incriminating letter on Maro's body after we kill him, framing him to be the leader of a group of people plotting to kill the Emperor. It will throw all suspension to the Commander's son, and not us," Gabriella explained with a sinister grin.

"I like it," Lilliana said. "I think killing him in a city and not on a road would be better. Guards would find and search his body faster, and it will cause more of a commotion when the body is found."

"I did not think of that. Good idea, Listener."

"Thank you. You did a good job on your part as well." Lilliana stood and walked into the training area of the sanctuary. Veezara and Arnbjorn had teamed up on a contract in Riften, so they could not be sent on the job. Babette would not be a good choice, because she would need to follow Maro during the daytime, and that was not possible. Astrid could not be trusted; she was still pouting over her new position. Festus was on a contract in Markarth, and Gabriella just got back. Nazir had to be there when the others got back, so he could not go.

_I guess it's down to Cicero and me, if he wants to come along to help, _Lilliana thought. She turned and walked up the steps toward Cicero's room. He was sitting at the table, cleaning his dagger.

"Cicero," Lilliana started. Cicero looked up quickly. "Everyone else is out on contract. Do you want to come with me on the next step of the Emperor's assassination? I'll explain the details in a minute."

"Cicero oiled Mother yesterday, so yes! Cicero would love to come along!" Cicero exclaimed.

"Good. I like having company. Okay, so what we're going to do is go to Dragon Bridge, and find Commander Maro and his son, Gaius. Gaius is being sent to most of the hold capitals to inspect their security before the Emperor's arrival. We need to follow Gaius into one of the cities, and kill him. We also need to plant an incriminating letter on his body to frame him as the leader of an operation with a plan to kill the Emperor. This will distract Commander Maro from his duties, and we can safely get to the Emperor to kill him when the time comes," Lilliana explained.

"Excellent plan, Listener! Cicero likes it."

"Gabriella should be working on the letter and it should be done by tomorrow, when we need to leave. Gaius is set to leave Dragon Bridge in four days, so if we leave tomorrow, we should make it just in time to start following him."

**oOo**

Oliver had finally arrived in Solitude. Everything seemed normal, except that the guard at the gate eyed him in a strange manner. _Has something happened recently? _he thought to himself. When he entered the city, another thing stood out to him. There weren't many citizens outside. It was the middle of the day, and citizens were usually outside in the marketplace. The inn was very quiet, too. It seemed that everyone chose to stay inside their homes that day.

"What's wrong with everyone here?" Oliver asked the innkeeper to the Winking Skeever. "Has something happened?"

"You haven't heard?" the redheaded man started. "The Emperor's cousin, Victoria Vici, was murdered just a few days ago, right at her own wedding! The guards think the Dark Brotherhood might be involved, because people in red and black armor were seen fleeing the scene. The Emperor is even coming to Skyrim soon, so this doesn't seem like a mere coincidence."

"Really? That's horrible . . ." Oliver trailed off, lost in thought. He remembered the dream he had, after he was wounded by the dragon at Shearpoint. He dreamed that he had found Lilliana, but her hair and lips were black, and she was wearing red and black armor. He knew the armor was familiar to a faction, but he couldn't remember which one at the time. Now, he knew. _No, Lilly wouldn't be involved with such people, _he thought. _She's not that dark . . . I hope. _

**oOo**

The next day, Cicero and Lilliana set off for Dragon Bridge, right at dawn. Cicero did most of the talking for the first hour of the trip; Lilliana was still half asleep. By the time they had made it to the plains of Whiterun, she was fully awake.

"Listener, are you listening now?" she heard Cicero ask. She perked up.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. I was still half-asleep," she explained.

"Cicero noticed. It is all right," Cicero told her.

"I wish we had a horse. My feet get tired," Lilliana commented, looking down at her feet.

"Perhaps once the Emperor is killed, the Brotherhood could get their own horses?" Cicero said.

"Maybe. It's a good idea. I just don't know where we'd put the stables . . ."

**oOo**

Oliver's horse trotted down the road, leaving Dragon Bridge. He had found nothing in Solitude, other than the clue from the innkeeper. He would have to look into the Dark Brotherhood. If he could find out more about them, maybe he could be one step closer to finding Lilliana. He missed her dearly and worried for her.

He crossed the bridge going over the Karth River. The bridge was a magnificent piece of work, though it reminded him of the dragons. If Oliver couldn't find Lilliana soon, he would have to complete his Dragonborn destiny by himself, and he didn't want that. Lilliana was Dragonborn, too, and he didn't want her to get left out.

For now, he would continue on to Whiterun and report Lilliana to the Jarl. He would do anything to find her now, even if that meant all the Holds searching for her.

**oOo**

By midday, Cicero and Lilliana were nearing Rorikstead. The sun was high in the sky, but they both pulled their cloaks tighter around themselves. The guards couldn't see their red and black clothing.

Once they had gotten through the village, they opened their cloaks back up. Suddenly, there was a man on a horse coming toward them. He was still a little ways off, but Lilliana still began to panic.

Even from a distance, she could see that the man was Oliver.

"Cicero! Do you remember me telling you about Oliver? Well, that's him up there, on the horse. He'll stop to talk to us, I'm sure of it, because he'll be looking for me. I need you to distract him so I can slip past him unseen," she stammered. Cicero nodded.

"Cicero understands. He will do his best," he said. Lilliana began to walk behind Cicero as they neared the horse. She saw Oliver get off, and walk toward them. Her heart was pounding.

"Excuse me!" she heard Oliver shout.

_I hope this works . . . _Lilliana thought desperately.

**oOo**

Oliver approached the two people on the road. Both were wearing red and black clothing, which made him want to speak to them more. The woman stood behind the man, who was dressed as a jester, and kept her hood up.

"Yes?" the jester asked.

"I was just wondering, do you know someone named Lilliana? I've been looking for her," Oliver said. The woman kept walking forward. Oliver's werewolf senses told him that this was Lilliana; this woman smelled just like her.

"Oh, no! Cicero hasn't ever heard that name before. It is quite a pretty name, though," the jester said. Oliver could tell he was lying.

"Miss?" Oliver said to the woman. He heard her gasp and look up. A mask was covering her nose and mouth, and he couldn't see her hair. "Do you know anyone named Lilliana?"

**oOo**

_Shit, _Lilliana thought. _He can probably smell that I'm the woman he's looking for. I have to change my voice . . . _

"No, I'm afraid not," Lilliana said, her voice a higher tone than usual.

"Oh, well that's a shame. What is your name, if I may ask?"

"Lucille is my name," she told him. She tried to keep her heart at a steady pace, but failed. He could probably tell that she was lying.

"We have to get going or else we'll be late," Cicero said to Lilliana. Oliver squinted at them.

"Well, if you find someone named Lilliana, tell the Jarl of Whiterun immediately. We need to find her," Oliver said.

**oOo**

Oliver _knew _that this was Lilliana, but he couldn't just grab her and haul her back to Whiterun. He couldn't let her get away, though.

Just as he was about to say something, an arrow whizzed by his head. He turned to see a group of bandits running toward them. The jester and Lilliana unsheathed their daggers and sprinted toward the bandits. Oliver unsheathed his greatsword and ran toward them as well.

_I have to keep an eye on Lilliana to see how she fights. If this woman's fighting style matches up with Lilliana's, it'll just tell me that it's her even more, _Oliver thought to himself. In the chaos of the fight, though, he couldn't keep watching them. He swung his sword at the bandits, taking them down one by one.

Once all the bandits were dead, he looked around.

The jester and the woman were nowhere to be seen. He lost them.

_And I almost had her, too . . . Dammit! _He thought sadly.

**oOo**

Lilliana watched Oliver from behind a nearby rock. He looked around sadly when he realized that she was gone. After a minute, he got back onto his horse and kept going down the road.

"Cicero thinks it went okay," she heard Cicero say.

"It didn't," Lilliana said, "Oliver is a werewolf. He knows my scent. He knew it was me. I could tell by the way he looked at me. If it weren't for those bandits, we would still be trying to get away. He knows who I'm involved with now, probably. He was coming from the direction of Solitude, so he probably heard about the assassination. I've heard that the guards sighted people in red and black clothing running away from the scene and the Dark Brotherhood is suspected. He most likely has a good idea that I'm with the Dark Brotherhood. He's probably already checked the Thieves Guild," Lilliana ranted, talking quickly.

"It will be okay, Listener," Cicero said.

"No, it won't. You don't understand. Don't tell the others, but I'm Dragonborn. So is Oliver. I'm going to have to reunite with him one day so we can fulfill our destinies or something like that."

"Dragonborn? Cicero thought those Nordic tales were just legends! The Listener is more powerful than Cicero thought!"

"You know the dragons have returned, right?"

"Cicero knows. The Listener will stop them?"

"That's the plan. Both Oliver and I will, one day. It won't be any day soon, I hope."

**oOo**

Nightfall was approaching, and Lilliana and Cicero were halfway to Dragon Bridge.

"Cicero, will you hold this flap down for a second?" Lilliana asked. They were setting up the tent.

"Of course, Listener," Cicero replied.

"You can call me by my name, you know," Lilliana commented.

"Is that what the Listener would like?"

"Well, it would be a bit better than being called 'Listener' all the time. I don't want all that respect."

"But the Listener—no—_Lilliana_ deserves the respect! She is powerful, and that fact does not need to be forgotten," Cicero stammered.

"It won't be forgotten. I can make it known whenever I want. I'd just like to be treated like a regular person, you know? Not some all-powerful Dragonborn or Listener," she paused, "Well, I know I won't be treated normally. I'm the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, for Sithis' sake. I don't know why I'm making such a big deal out of this . . ."

When Lilliana went silent, Cicero looked up at her. His voice was lower, a more normal tone than usual.

"Cicero had a friend once. He was very smart, and very good at manipulating people. He was an Altmer, and loved figuring people out. He always spoke of some wanting a sense of normalcy. Cicero's Altmer friend said some pretty strange things! But that was the one thing Cicero ever understood. It was relatable," Cicero smirked, "When you're an assassin for the Dark Brotherhood, there isn't really a 'normal'. Every day is different, each contract has a different target. Nothing is ever normal. Everything is always changing. For you, the Listener, it is even more so. The Listener is an extraordinary person, and for her, there is no normal, so she wishes for it, even though she knows she cannot have it." Cicero went silent for a moment. "Cicero's Altmer friend was very smart, indeed! Cicero always found it funny that he was killed by being outsmarted."

Lilliana was speechless. Out of everything Cicero had said to her since they met, this made the most sense. More importantly, _it made sense_. Lilliana was shocked.

She would have to remember to ask Cicero for advice more often.

**oOo**

**Hi! This was one of my most favorite chapters to write. The encounter between Oliver and Lilliana has been in my mind for a while, and I was excited to actually put it in writing. This story is progressing well, in my view. I started this series over a year ago, and over that time, my writing has improved majorly. Of course, my writing teachers in school have helped, and even my own practice has helped a lot, too. This series has been one of my best ideas, and it's something I've actually put a lot of time and effort into. I hardly ever work on something for so long. Honestly, I don't remember how I got the idea for this. It just came to me, I guess. ****_Fury of a Wolf and Temper of a Dragon _****has almost 4K views, as of today (when I'm writing this), and I'm ****_ecstatic. _****I just want to thank all my readers and reviewers, and my fellow writers who have helped me and given me ideas. It means a lot to me, it really does. Don't be afraid to review. I love hearing your thoughts. PM me if you'd like. The A/N for this chapter is long, and I'm sorry for that, but I had a lot to say. This is the second book in the ****_Fury _****series, and there's a lot more to come (I hope). I'm really excited to see where it goes, and I hope it gets some more fans by the time I'm writing the last book. Thank you so much for reading!**

**-Rayne **


	17. Problem Solvers

By midday the next day, Lilliana and Cicero had arrived in Dragon Bridge. The small village was busy at this time, but it wasn't hard to find the Penitus Oculatus outpost. From behind some bushes, the pair of assassins watched two soldiers in front of the outpost while pretending to pick flowers.

"When you arrive in the cities, inspect the security and go to your designated resting area. Nothing more. Keep your guard up," the older man said to the younger soldier. It was Commander Maro and his son, Gaius.

"Father, I'll be fine, I swear. This is a simple task," Gaius said.

"This is the Emperor's safety on the line! It must be taken seriously. Do not let your guard down," Maro commanded.

"Okay, father. I understand."

"Be safe, son," Maro said, more gently.

Lilliana and Cicero watched as Commander Maro went back into the outpost, and Gaius was approached by a woman. She was the innkeeper, if Lilliana remembered correctly.

"Well, this is it, then. Look after yourself, Gaius. You're doing your duty, and I'm proud of you. But you'd better come back to me, you hear?" she told him.

"Oh, Faida. I may travel alone, but you know I carry you always in my heart. I'll see you soon," Gaius replied. The two embraced for a moment, and then Faida walked off, back to the inn.

Lilliana and Cicero stood up. Honestly, she felt a bit bad about killing Gaius. He had a lot to come back to, and she knew this contract would be hard. Either way, Lilliana would still do it. The Emperor must die.

"His first stop should be Solitude, according to the schedule Gabriella gave us," Lilliana told Cicero in a low voice. "We could follow him there and carry out the contract. I already have the formations of a plan . . ."

"Cicero is sure it will be good."

"I was thinking we could get him in the marketplace and be close to the escape route we used last time. I could fire a poisoned arrow and off we go!"

"What about the letter, Listener?" Cicero asked.

"Shit, I forgot about that . . ." She paused for a moment, thinking about her options. "Are you skilled in pickpocketing?"

"Oh, yes! Most assassins are. It comes in handy at times like this."

"Good. We're going to need you to look like a normal citizen, and you can go distract Gaius. You could bump into him and slip the note into his pocket, then apologize. While he is distracted, I could fire the arrow and then we make a break for it."

"Cicero only has one concern. He would have to make sure not to distract any other people when he distracts Gaius. It is better to now draw unwanted attention," Cicero explained.

"Good point. Can you do it?"

"Of course! Cicero is up to the challenge."

"Now, we just have to do a little stalking . . ."

**oOo**

Two hours later, the two assassins were entering Solitude, dressed as normal citizens. They had gotten ahead of Maro, so they could track him once he entered the city.

"Okay, I'll get to my position on the wall by the windmill. I'll keep an eye on you, and when you start distracting Gaius, I'll fire," Lilliana told Cicero in a quiet voice as they walked.

"And once Gaius is on the ground with an arrow sticking out of him, Cicero will act surprised and frightened! In the chaos, he will slip off to the secret exit and meet the Listener there," Cicero continued.

"Exactly! I'll come down to help in case things get out of hand. Good luck, Cicero."

"Kill well, and often, Listener." Cicero grinned madly. There was excitement in his eyes.

Lilliana turned and approached the execution area. No one was in that area, so she was able to get on top of the wall easily. She climbed the steps and walked along the wall until she reached the windmill. She had a great view over the marketplace, and could see Cicero roaming about. She slipped off her normal clothes, revealing her Dark Brotherhood armor.

She took her bow off her back, along with a specially crafted Elven arrow. It was sharper than the usual arrow, and coated with a special poison, courtesy of Babette, that made it able to go through even the toughest armors. It could easily go through Gaius's helmet and into his skull.

After some waiting, Lilliana could see Gaius approaching the marketplace. She straightened up and put her arrow on the string. She only had one shot. She watched as Cicero saw him, and began to walk toward him. No one else was paying any attention to Cicero, which was good. He bumped into Gaius, and even Lilliana couldn't see him slip the letter into the pocket of Gaius's armor.

She pulled the bowstring back, aiming right at Gaius's head.

Cicero began apologizing to Gaius. He was distracted.

She let go.

The arrow flew from her bow, and suddenly, Gaius was on the ground. Lilliana could see blood beginning to pool under his head, and she knew that she had succeeded. She saw Cicero jump back, acting surprised, and people begin to crowd around Gaius, including guards. Once she saw that Cicero had slipped away, she began to run into the windmill.

She met Cicero at the bottom of the stairs.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Very well!" Cicero answered.

"Good, now let's move."

Cicero and Lilliana ran down the stairs leading to the secret entrance. Once they were outside, they began to head north. The sun was already going down, and it would soon be dark.

"I hope we find a place to camp soon. I get cold easily and dread having to walk in the dark with no fire," Lilliana said.

"But isn't the Listener a Nord? Nords don't get cold," Cicero asked.

"I am, but I still get cold for some reason. I guess I have either some Imperial or Breton blood in me. I don't know much about my ancestors."

"Neither does Cicero. He does not even remember his parents."

"I don't remember my father . . ."

They were both silent, which was unusual, until they got to their camping spot.

"I'll start the fire. Will you set up the tent?" Lilliana asked.

"Of course, Listener."

Over time, Lilliana had gotten quite good at building campfires. She piled the wood up and sat rocks around it, so the fire wouldn't spread. Lighting it was the hardest part. She placed her hand near the wood and concentrated. Soon, a burst of flames erupted from the palm of her hand, and set the wood on fire. Casting the flame spell had gotten slightly easier over time, but it was still difficult; she was no mage.

After she had gotten the fire going, she turned to look at Cicero. He was almost done with the tent, whistling merrily as he worked.

"Need any help?" Lilliana asked him.

"Oh, no, Listener! Cicero is almost done," Cicero replied.

As Cicero finished the tent, Lilliana sat down next to the fire. She warmed her hands and began to think, easily getting lost in her thoughts. She didn't notice when Cicero sat down beside her and began to talk.

"Listener? Are you okay?" he asked.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Did you say something?" Lilliana stuttered.

"Cicero was just mentioning that he hoped the guards found the letter on the soldier's body, but that is not important. What is troubling the Listener?" Cicero seemed concerned.

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

"Do not lie to Cicero, Listener."

Lilliana sighed. "If I tell you something, and tell you not to tell anyone, you won't, right?"

"Cicero is sworn to obey the Listener! He would never dare disobey."

"I've never told you my whole story. It's a long one." Cicero raised his eyebrows, but stayed silent. "I grew up in Riften. A man there, Brynjolf, taught me how to be a thief at an early age. My mother always hated it. She wanted me to be an honorable Nord. My father died when I was very young. When I was fifteen, bandits attacked Riften. They killed my mother and took me hostage." Lilliana looked down at her hands. "I was there for three years. Over that time, they used me to make money. I fought wolves and people placed bets on me. Sometimes, I didn't win. That's how I got all these scars on my arms and legs. That's not all, though . . . The gamblers that came to watch me fight, they could also pay to . . . _bed _me. I never wanted to. I was forced . . . Those bandits used me. That was, until, Oliver came along and saved me. He's the man we met on the road. At that time, he had just joined the Companions. You know who they are, right?"

Cicero nodded.

"Well, he took me to Riften. I got healed. I learned that he was a member of the Companions. I looked for Brynjolf in Riften, but I couldn't find him. I stole enough money to hire a carriage to Whiterun. I joined the Companions and became reacquainted with Oliver. We became good friends, and I developed feelings for him . . . Well, Oliver and I found out at the same time that the higher-ranking Companions were werewolves. We eventually both became werewolves, too. After a lot of events, like the Harbinger of the Companions, who was also Oliver's grandfather, dying, me getting cured of lycanthropy, and Oliver being named Harbinger, Oliver ended up kissing me. I looked up at him, and his eyes were yellow. That meant the wolf in Oliver was taking over. He was never cured of lycanthropy. Oliver's wolf just wanted to bed me, just like those bandits did."

"And that is when you ran away and joined the Thieves Guild?" Cicero asked.

"Yes, but that's not all. I ran away thinking Oliver wanted to use me just like those bandits did. I had to go to Whiterun on a job and two Companions found me. They agreed not to tell Oliver that they saw me, but they did tell me some interesting information about the male werewolf. Turns out, the male wolf has two goals. One is to become dominant, and two is to find a mate. Oliver's wolf chose me, and that's why he was kissing me so passionately. According to the Companions, the man in Oliver wanted me as well. He's beating himself up over driving me away."

"Lilliana is confused about what she should do," Cicero stated.

"Yes. What makes it even harder is that both Oliver and I are Dragonborn, and we have this destiny to complete. My destiny is also to be the Listener. How can I be the honorable Dragonborn and the Listener at the same time? If I go back to Oliver, will he still like me? He's an honorable Nord, and I'm an assassin. He won't approve. I know he won't."

"If Oliver loves you, he'll be with you no matter what. Cicero has learned some about love, and that is one thing he knows for sure. The Night Mother will guide you, Listener. She has led you this far."

"You're right," Lilliana said. "Thank you for helping."

"Cicero is glad to, Listener." Cicero smiled at her. In that moment, he actually seemed kind of sane. It was a strange sight.

_I guess Cicero isn't as crazy as everyone thought._

**oOo**

Oliver entered Jorrvaskr with a confused look to his face. He was lost in thought, and had been for most of his trip back, which was why it had taken so long.

"Oliver, you're back," Aela said as he approached him. "Did you find out anything?"

"Yes, but I'd prefer to tell you about it in private. I don't want the others hearing," Oliver told her, his voice low. They walked down to the living quarters, and into Oliver's room.

"What did you learn?" Aela asked, a concerned tone taking over her voice.

"It's a long story."

"I want to hear the whole thing."

Oliver sighed. "When Vilkas and I went to Shearpoint, and I was wounded by the dragon and unconscious, I had a dream. I was with Lilly, but her hair and lips were black, and she was wearing red and black armor. I knew the armor belonged to a faction, but I couldn't remember which one. Well, I went to Solitude the other day and learned about the recent murder of Victoria Vici. The Dark Brotherhood is suspected, because they saw people with red and black clothing running away. When I learned that, I remembered my dream, and that Lilliana was wearing red and black armor. I didn't want to think that she had joined the Brotherhood, but I got even more evidence. On my way back here, I ran into two people on the road. A woman, and a _jester_. Their clothes were red and black, and the woman's armor looked like the armor Lilliana was wearing in the dream. She smelled _just _like Lilliana! I saw her eyes. They were Lilly's eyes. I talked to them and asked them about Lilliana and if they had seen her, but bandits attacked and I lost them. I _know _it was Lilly! The scent doesn't lie," Oliver ranted.

"Whoa, slow down. It isn't uncommon for werewolves to smell what they want to smell. It could be a trick of the nose. Lilly being a thief is understandable, but an _assassin_? I don't think she would go that low. Do you really believe that girl would murder innocent people?" Aela asked.

"No, I guess not . . . But I can't give up. This is the only lead I have. She wasn't in Riften. I'm so close to finding her, Aela! I can't give up," Oliver pleaded.

Aela sighed. "I guess we can't rule out anything, but I will not believe that Lilly joined the Dark Brotherhood. She just isn't that dark."

_Not unless she had a secret dark side that no one knew about . . . _Oliver thought. He remembered when he first found her, some of her comments were dark. She was fond of Falkreath, and how the names of the buildings were related to the big cemetery. Anything was possible, with her. She was unpredictable.

Part of Oliver didn't see her darkness as a bad thing. He didn't like to admit it to himself, but the Lilliana in his dream was very attractive. The dark aura around her was . . . seducing. He hated to think that she was an assassin, but the darkness strangely didn't seem repelling to him. If anything, it just made him want her more.

**oOo**

The next day, Oliver climbed the steps to Dragonsreach. It was sunny outside, even though winter was almost ending. It would be spring soon.

The guards let him in quickly, knowing he was the Harbinger. He was also Thane, but he usually forgot about that. He felt slightly bad, for his housecarl was still staying in Dragonsreach.

"My jarl," Oliver said as he approached Jarl Balgruff. "I need to report a missing Companion."

Balgruff perked up at Oliver's words. "A missing Companion? Come with me. Proventus, you come, too." The jarl stood and walked up the stairs leading to the war room.

"Tell me about the Companion," Proventus said.

"Her name is Lilliana. She has waist-length blonde hair, although it may be black now. When we last saw her, she was wearing leather armor. She usually fights with a bow or a sword, possibly a dagger. She could be wearing the armor of a thief, or red and black clothes. She's very quick and agile."

Proventus wrote quickly on a piece of parchment. "And if she is found?"

"Get word to me or another Companion immediately. Don't try to capture her. Just let me know where she was seen."

"Got it. It will be done, Harbinger."

"Thank you," Oliver said, to both Proventus and Jarl Balgruff.

**oOo**

Two days later, Lilliana and Cicero arrived in Falkreath.

"We should go to the inn to see if they've heard about Gaius yet," Lilliana suggested.

"Good idea, Listener," Cicero replied cheerfully. The two had been very lively on their trip back, with their contract going so smoothly. As they entered Falkreath, Cicero scanned the city. "This town is so . . . deadly. 'Dead Man's Drink', 'Grave Concoctions', and the big cemetery! It is glorious that the sanctuary is so close to such a deathful place!"

"That reminds me of something I said to Oliver when we visited here once . . . I said almost the same thing you did. I commented that I liked how the building names went along with the big cemetery, and he thought it was kinda creepy . . . I remember it well," Lilliana said.

"Oh! Cicero is sorry if you didn't want to think about it . . ." Cicero muttered.

"No, it's okay. It's a good memory," Lilliana replied sadly. They walked into the inn.

"-and the member of the Penitus Oculatus was the one involved with the plot? How tragic!" someone was saying.

"I heard he was the leader of the whole operation!" someone else added.

"Isn't his father the commander of the Penitus Oculatus? Oh, the shame that man must feel!"

"They're talking about Gaius," Lilliana told Cicero quietly. He nodded with a smile on his face.

"Ah, more patrons! Can I get ya anything?" the woman behind the counter asked.

"Any rumors lately?" Lilliana asked.

"I'm sure you've heard about Commander Maro's son and the plot to kill the Emperor! There's other news, too. The Companions have informed the jarl of Whiterun that they're missing a member. A woman, but I can't remember her name. All the Holds have been told to look for her," the innkeeper said.

Lilliana felt all the blood drain from her face.

"I just remembered, we have to go, or else we'll be late! C'mon," she told Cicero quickly, and drug him out of the inn.

_Oliver told the jarl about me? _She thought frantically as she ran toward the sanctuary.

**oOo**

**Hi! I hoped you liked this chapter. I have so much planned! What do you think about everything that's going on? Do you think Oliver will find Lilliana before she can kill the Emperor? I really want to hear your thoughts on this. Don't be afraid to review with comments and/or suggestions. I'd love to hear them! **

**-Rayne **


	18. A Family Divided

"I can't believe Oliver actually reported me to the Jarl . . ." Lilliana told Cicero. They were sitting in the Night Mother's chambers, across from each other. "I didn't think he would be willing to go that far."

"The Listener is going to have to let herself be found eventually. It does not seem that Oliver is going to give up," Cicero replied.

"He's not. His wolf has picked me to be its mate. He's only going to stop looking once he's found me." She sighed. "I won't be able to keep this up much longer."

"When does Lilliana plan to go back?" Cicero asked.

"I don't know . . ." Lilliana put her head in her hands. "It's going to have to be after the assassination of the Emperor. I can't abandon my Brotherhood duties."

"Maybe Oliver would be willing to be part of the Brotherhood, too?" Cicero suggested.

"No. I don't even know if I'll tell him I'm part of the Brotherhood."

"He would have to know, eventually."

"I know . . ."

_Why do decisions have to be so hard? _Lilliana thought.

"I'm going to go get a small contract to complete while Festus is working on the next stage of the Emperor plan," she told Cicero. "Wanna come with me?"

"Cicero would love to, Listener, but he has to oil the Night Mother," Cicero replied.

"Oh, okay. I'll leave you to it, then," Lilliana said as she turned to exit. Hopefully, being out doing something else would help clear her head. It would give her something else to think about, at least. "Do you have any contracts, Nazir?" she asked as she entered the kitchen.

"I do. Only one, though. It's in Morthal, on a bard named Lurbuk. This bard is an Orc, and he's horrible. You'll be doing the world a favor by killing him," Nazir said.

"An Orc bard? That does sound horrible," Lilliana chuckled.

She turned back to walk out of the room, going to gather her things for the trip.

**oOo**

Oliver trudged up the steps to the Skyforge. He felt bad for leaving Eorlund to work on Lilliana's armor by himself, but the Gray-Mane seemed more than happy to work on the armor. Eorlund had told him that the armor was done, and was ready for Oliver to put the finishing touches on.

The sun was high in the sky, telling Oliver it was around mid-day. The day was pleasant, even though it was almost spring. There was only a slight chill to the air.

Eorlund greeted Oliver as he approached the Skyforge.

"Come to work on Lilly's armor?" he asked.

"Aye. I know exactly what needs to be done to suit her," Oliver answered as he sat his bag of smithing tools on the ground by the forge.

"I brought the armor up since I knew you'd be working on it," Eorlund said. "Tell me if you'd like some help."

Oliver nodded his reply as he got to work. He took the boots and compared them to the grieves, seeing that they came up to the knees. He planned to make pockets on the boots for arrows. Lilliana preferred stealth archery, and arrows on her boots would allow her easy access without having to reach over her shoulder. On the other sides of the boots, he planned to put two sheathes for small daggers. Oliver remembered that Lilliana kept a dagger in her boot in case she was disarmed. The steel daggers that were made to go into the pockets were slightly smaller than a regular dagger, but would work as a backup. Another plan that Oliver had was for the gauntlets. He would modify them so the hand parts could slip off, allowing Lilliana to fire a bow better. He didn't know much about lockpicking, but he assumed that it would also make lockpicking easier as well. He would have made the gauntlets fingerless, but he remembered that Liliana got cold easily, and she would want the gauntlets to cover her fingers as well.

Eorlund's words pulled him from his thoughts.

"I told my wife about what you were doing," he said. "She wanted me to tell you that she believed that if a man did that for a woman, he must really love her. She said that if I made her some armor to win her affections, I would have had her wrapped around my finger. I hope that Lilly does return soon so she can see the armor."

Oliver was at a loss for words.

"I hope she does, too," he finally said. "I don't want all of our work to be in vain. I hope she likes it."

"I'm sure she will, lad."

In that moment, Oliver hoped Eorlund was right.

**oOo**

Oliver wiped the sweat from his brow as he sat Lilliana's gauntlets down. The sun was setting, and he was finished with his touches. Eorlund had approved of them greatly, and said they would suit Lilliana well. He was proud of his work. He left the armor with Eorlund to be cleaned and double-checked for any flaws.

Steel clashing against steel rang out as he neared the training yard. Njada and Athis were sparring each other, and it seemed that the Dunmer man was currently winning. Oliver stopped to watch as Njada seemed to pull a fast one on Athis, and strike back when his grip loosened. Applause came from the rest of the audience as Athis dropped his sword.

Oliver entered Jorrvaskr, and almost ran into one of the new recruits, a man named Drudge. From what Oliver knew, he hadn't been there long, but possessed great fighting skill.

"Oh, sorry," Oliver mumbled as he took a step back.

"It's fine! You're Oliver, right? The Harbinger?" Drudge asked.

"That's me."

"The others have told me about Lilliana, and how you're making her some armor to win her back," Oliver scowled at the man as Drudge started to smirk. "If it were me in your place, she wouldn't have left to begin with!" Oliver saw Aela walk in out of the corner of his eye. "You must be really sorry, if you're making her that armor. If it were me, she'd still be here, wrapped around my finger! I have a way with the ladies, you see—"

Drudge was cut off by Oliver's fist hitting his jaw. Aela ran up and grabbed Oliver's arm.

"Oliver! Stop it!" she scolded.

"Did you not hear how he was talking?!" Oliver shouted, his mind filled with rage.

"I did hear, and he will learn his lesson." Aela began to speak in a lower tone. "I can smell the beastblood coming off you. You need to go calm down."

"I'm fine!" Oliver spat as he broke free from Aela's grip. He walked past a confused-looking Farkas on his way out, and ignored his questions about what happened. Aela would surely explain.

"Where are you going?" Vilkas asked as he passed him on his way to the Underforge.

"For a walk," Oliver said simply. He needed to get away from Drudge.

**oOo**

Lilliana entered Rorikstead on her way to Morthal. She had been walking for most of the day, and would have to set up camp soon. If she kept walking until sundown, she would be able to get to Morthal in the late afternoon of the next day.

Two girls ran past her as she left the village. They looked around ten years old, and related. Lilliana stopped and turned to look as them as they kept running, playing some sort of game. _I remember when I used to play games like that with the kids from the Orphanage, _she thought. _I miss those days. _

Her trip had been very quiet without Cicero. She had to admit, she missed his constant chattering and singing. She never knew how much she enjoyed the company until she didn't have it.

That's how everything seemed to work in her life. She realized too late that she was grateful for something. The same thing happened with Oliver.

_Don't think about that, _she told herself mentally. _It'll just make you sad. _

**oOo**

She arrived in Morthal the next day in the late afternoon, just as she predicted. The city was small, and she didn't like the feel of it. _Something's wrong here, _she thought as she approached the inn. The sun was going down, and there would soon be patrons to the inn. It would make it that much easier to poison Lurbuk with no one noticing.

When she opened the door, she immediately heard horrible singing. _No wonder they want him dead, _she thought. Lurbuk was strumming on a lute, singing Ragnar the Red. She usually would have enjoyed it, when the singer could actually sing. Lilliana, who was now wearing normal clothes, sat down in one of the chairs by the fire. She ate a bowl of stew that she purchased slowly, keeping an eye on Lurbuk. Most of the patrons tried to avoid him, flinching at his horrible singing.

"I'd like a room and a bottle of mead, please," she told the innkeeper, a Redguard woman.

"All right. That'll be ten septims for the room and fifteen for the mead," the innkeeper replied. Lilliana knew she could get the mead for a lower price if she wanted, but it wasn't like she didn't have more coin. She placed the appropriate amount of septims on the counter and took her bottle of mead. She headed to the room that the innkeeper pointed to, placing her pack on the ground beside her bed. She reached inside and pulled out a bottle of poison that was made by Babette. She uncorked the mead and poured a few drops of the poison in. It was a powerful brew, but she wanted to make sure it would work.

She put the cork back on the mead and exited her room. Lurbuk was leaning against a wall in the back of the inn. No one was paying any attention to him, allowing Lilliana to approach him with no one noticing.

"I noticed that you've been working hard all night," she started, sounding as innocent as possible. "I thought you'd like a drink. Think of it was a reward." She smiled at him.

"Oh, thank you! You are most certainly right!" Lurbuk exclaimed as he took the mead and began to drink. The poison was sweet, so it went unnoticed. It would also work slowly, and he would be dead by morning.

Lilliana nodded and returned to her room, looking around to see if anyone had noticed her. Everyone seemed immersed in their food and drinks, and the coast was clear. She closed the door behind her and began to change into her Brotherhood armor. Once she was done, she grabbed her pack and opened the window. No one would notice that she was gone, and she didn't want to be there when Lurbuk's body was found. She planned to walk as far as she could and make camp. She hoped to get out of Hjaalmarch before she camped.

As she walked, she couldn't push the feeling that something was wrong from her mind.

"I'm probably just paranoid," she told herself.

**oOo**

Oliver stood before the door to Lilliana's room, her armor in his arms. _All I have to do is go put it on the mannequin. That's not hard, _he thought. In truth, it would be very hard for him. It was Lilliana's room. The whole idea reminded him of her.

He opened the door and walked inside, forcing himself not to look around. He placed the armor on the mannequin with care, not wanting to damage it. He needed it to look perfect for when she got back.

_If _she got back.

Before he could stop himself, he scanned the room. An alchemy lab was on one side of the room, reminding him that she had a knack for alchemy. Her old hunting bow hung on the weapon rack. Her scent, though, was very faint, almost nonexistent. It reminded Oliver of how long she had been gone.

"Gods damn it," he muttered, exiting the room. He refused to let himself become sad about her. She would be back.

Besides, mead always cheered him up, and the Bannered Mare was only a little ways down the street.

**oOo**

Lilliana's feeling of dread only got worse as she neared the sanctuary. She could tell that something was wrong. As she entered the sanctuary, the air felt tense.

Something was definitely not right, and she found out what it was when she entered the main room.

Veezara was sitting on the ground, in a pool of blood, being tended to by Babette. Festus and Gabriella stood a little ways off, looking wary. Astrid, on the other hand, looked outraged, and Arnbjorn was nowhere in sight. Nazir was standing over Veezara, watching Babette. Lilliana felt another wave of dread wash over her when she realized Cicero was not there, either.

"What happened here?" she asked Astrid.

"The damn jester tried to kill me, and he wounded Veezara!" Astrid exclaimed. "He fled the sanctuary and Arnbjorn chased him. I have no idea where they went."

"Why did he attack you?" Lilliana asked frantically. Cicero would only attack a Dark Brother or Sister with good reason.

"I don't know!" Astrid spat.

"I know you're lying," Lilliana spat back. She narrowed her eyes.

"Okay, fine. I was talking about the Night Mother, and I may not have been entirely respectful. But still, that is no reason to attack me!"

"Tenet one: Never dishonor the Night Mother. You did not follow the Tenets for years, so I understand your mistake. Just don't do it again!" Lilliana said lowly, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Damn the Tenets! I need you to find my husband. Make sure he's safe, and send that jester to the Void, in as many pieces as possible!" Astrid screamed.

"I'll see what I can do," Lilliana sneered back. Astrid had no authority to order Lilliana around. All she wanted to do was attack Astrid, just like Cicero had done, but that would cause too much chaos. She needed to keep her temper under control.

She turned toward Cicero's room, hoping she would find a clue as to where he went. She would find Arnbjorn, and figure out a plan. First, though, she needed to know where they were. One thing was for sure, though.

Lilliana would _not _take orders from Astrid.

**oOo**

**How are you guys liking this story so far? I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but I'm getting some new inspiration to write. Despite the fact that not many people read this story, I write anyway. It's fun for me and I do have friends that read. If I don't update, then they keep bugging me until I do. Remember to review. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for reading!**

**-Rayne **


	19. The Aftermath of Chaos

"**_18_****_th_****_ of Evening Star, 4E 186_**

_As I begin this new phase in my life, I have decided to finally keep a journal. So much has happened to me thus far, both within the Brotherhood and without – when I think there is no record of what has transpired, it almost seems an affront to Sithis himself. So I am determined to make amends._

_Yes, the Dark Brotherhood has its own scribes and chroniclers, but it is their solemn task to record those events deemed important to the organization as a whole. Let this volume serve as the personal record of one man, a lowly assassin who has pledged his blade and his life for the Dark Brotherhood._"

Lilliana found Cicero's journals in his room, scattered about. On the covers, were numbers that put them in order. She couldn't help but to read them all. Who knew where the information she needed could be? Besides, she was very interested to hear what Cicero thought.

She just didn't know the journals went back this far. _He actually is… sane, _she thought as she read.

"**_23_****_rd_****_ of Evening Star, 4E 186_**

_I have arrived safely in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, and have been greeted warmly by Rasha and the others. Indeed, the level of support and acceptance shown by my new family is rather overwhelming. For this Sanctuary knows suffering, knows sorrow, for the ghosts of the Purification still haunt its halls. So, who better to understand the plight of a brother who has lost home and heart? Who better to comfort one whose Sanctuary is no more?_

_The Bruma Sanctuary may be gone, but my dearest brothers and sisters will live forever in my dreams, just as their souls live forever by the Dread Father's side._"

_Cicero was there when the Brotherhood was being wiped out, _Lilliana thought dully. She wondered who he was before he was an assassin.

"**_7_****_th_****_ of Sun's Height, 4E 188_**

_Wayrest is lost. The city fell to corsairs, and it's just a matter of time before the Sanctuary is breeched. May the Night Mother watch over her children in their hour of need._

**_5_****_th_****_ of Last Seed, 4E 188_**

_We received word today – the Wayrest Sanctuary was raided and destroyed by the corsairs. There were no survivors._

_There are now only three active Dark Brotherhood strongholds remaining: the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, here in the Imperial Province; a remote Sanctuary located in a forest in Skyrim; and the Corinthe Sanctuary of Elsweyr._

_The Black Hand has ordered the Corinthe Sanctuary closed, and its members integrated into our own ranks here, in Cheydinhal. I will embrace those new family members as warmly as I was, when I first made my home here._

**_27_****_th_****_ of Hearthfire, 4E 188_**

_The situation in Bravil grows more dire. They city has erupted in violence, due to a war of control being waged by Cyrodiil's two largest skooma traffickers. The Listener, Alisanne Dupre, has been forced to employ sellswords to protect her own residence. _

**_1_****_st_****_ of Sun's Dusk, 4E 188_**

_Things in Bravil have come to a head. The statue of the Lucky Old Lady has been destroyed, and Alisanne Dupre has left her residence to guard the crypt of the Night Mother, hidden below the remains of the statue. If the crypt is discovered, Alisanne Dupre will, of course, protect the remains of the Unholy Matron until her dying breath. _

_Rasha is sending Garnag and Andronica to aid in the crypt's defense. I begged to accompany them, but Rasha wouldn't have it. He says my place is here, defending this Sanctuary, and I must of course respect that decision._"

_Okay, so everything is going up in flames. When does he become the Keeper? _Lilliana wondered.

**"****_21_****_st_****_ of Sun's Dusk, 4E 188_**

_So much has happened since my last entry. After Garnag and Andronica left for Bravil, we stopped receiving communications from the city. We feared the worst. This morning, those fears were confirmed, when Garnag returned alone, transporting a most precious cargo – the great stone coffin of the Night Mother herself._

_The story Garnag told could curl the blood of even the most hardened of Sithis' servants. The crypt of the Night Mother, raided. Dearest sister Andronica, cut to pieces. And the Listener herself, the most honored Alisanne Dupre, burned alive in a storm of mage fire. _

_Garnag, though gravely injured (he will most certainly lose his right eye), managed to fend off the attackers, and transport the Night Mother's coffin safely out of the city. He has been on the road, making his way back here, since that tragic night._"

Lilliana sat the journal down and leaned back a bit in the chair she was sitting in. The Brotherhood – along with Cicero – had been through so much already, and Cicero wasn't even insane yet.

"This has some better information than some of the books I've read…" she muttered to herself as she picked up the third journal.

"**_23_****_rd_****_ of Sun's Dusk, 4E 188_**

_Now that things have settled down, the reality of our situation has finally come to bear – we are a Dark Brotherhood without a Listener. With no Listener, the Black Sacrament will go unheard. Surely the Night Mother will speak to someone soon, thus choosing a new Listener to take Alisanne Dupre's place. Until that happens, though, we must take to the streets. We must hear the pleas of the desperate and vengeful. The people of Tamriel must not know, must never know, that their prayers to the Night Mother are going unheeded. _

**_24_****_th_****_ of Morning Star, 4E 189_**

_It is a new year, and two months since the Night Mother first arrived here at the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, and still the Unholy Matron has not seen fit to speak to any one of us._

_And so, Rasha has decided to revive and ancient Dark Brotherhood tradition – the appointing of a Keeper, and guardian whose sole duty is the safeguarding of the Night Mother's remains. The remaining members of the Black Hand will make their decision tomorrow._

**_25_****_th_****_ of Morning Star, 4E 189_**

_I have been chosen. By some incomprehensible twist of fate, the Black Hand has named me the Night Mother's Keeper. In all honesty, I am both incredibly honored and deeply saddened. This means the end of my contracts. I'll be lucky to lift a blade again. Thankfully, Rasha has promised me one final contract before I accept my new duties. _

**_30_****_th_****_ of Morning Star, 4E 189_**

_The jester lies dead. My final contract has been completed. Oh, how he laughed and laughed. Until he didn't._"

"That's it!" Lilliana exclaimed. "That must be where he got his jester role from! Things must start going downhill from here…"

"**_3_****_rd_****_ of First Seed, 4E 189_**

_I have settled well into my new role as Keeper. It is my duty to not only keep the Night Mother's shrine clean, and the candles lit, but to tend to the body as well. The Night Mother's crypt was a consecrated place – shroud-kissed, absent of sunlight, and safe from the world above. Removed from there, the remains are subject to the filth and corruption of the living. The body is perfectly preserved, so the concern is not physical, but rather spiritual – the remains must be sanctified regularly, so that they may continue to serve as a conduit for the Night Mother's soul. Our Matron's eternal spirit may travel the Void freely, but it is through her own earthly remains that she communicates with the Listener. _

_And so, I wash the corpse weekly with the requisite oils, recite the ancient incantations, and personally see to the extermination of any insects or rodents. If the Night Mother does not speak, it will be because she chooses not to – not because she is unable. This is my responsibility. This is my vow. _

**_12_****_th_****_ of Mid Year, 4E 189_**

_Months and months and months and no Listener. Why won't the Night Mother speak to me? I am worthy as Keeper, but not as Listener? I protect our Lady, keep her sanctified, but still she will not grace me with her voice?_

**_4_****_th_****_ of Sun's Height, 4E 189_**

_So long since I worked my blade. So long since I saved a soul. But I am now Keeper. No longer a taker._

_I think back fondly on my hours with the jester. His laughter, his screams, his pitiful cries. And then, as the end drew near, his laughter once more. Merry in death as well as life. I was honored to know him._"

"Okay, I see hints of crazy now," Lilliana muttered to herself as she picked up the next journal.

There were only two more to go, and it didn't seem to be anywhere near the present. Maybe these journals didn't have what she needed? She would read anyway.

"**_1_****_st_****_ of Hearthfire, 4E 189_**

_Cheydinhal has erupted into violence and chaos, like so many other cities before it. The Sanctuary has remained unbreached, but for how long? Our numbers are few, and with no Listener, the contracts have dwindled almost to nothingness. Rasha's hold on the Sanctuary is slipping._

**_26_****_th_****_ of Frostfall, 4E 189_**

_Silence! Deafening silence! In my head in my head in my head. It is the silence of death, the silence of the Void. Seeping into me, through the Mother. The silence is hatred. The silence is rage. The silence is love._"

"Okay, major crazy now!" Lilliana exclaimed quietly as she read.

"**_4_****_th_****_ of Evening Star, 4E 189_**

_Today, Rasha declared himself Listener, claiming the Night Mother spoke to him as last. But when questioned, he could not name the Binding Words. Liar! Deceiver! His charade must not stand._

**_5_****_th _****_of Evening Star, 4E 189_**

_Rasha is dead._

_As commanded by the silence, so did I obey. I did not wield the knife, oh no, but dipped the honey softly sweet, into Garnag's eager ear. He is a good brother. A loyal brother. To both Cicero and our Matron. He did the deed, gladly._"

She noticed that Cicero switched to third person in this entry, and then, she knew he was losing his grip on sanity. She was seeing the first hints of the man he was today, though she wondered what he was like before he went mad.

Cicero continued for the next three entries, stating that only three of them were left, and that he heard laughing. Lilliana went from being entertained, to slightly terrified. Going insane sounded horribly scary. Who could have ever known? Cicero hid it so well.

"**_4_****_th_****_ of First Seed, 4E 190_**

_Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother. Thank you for my laughter. Thank you for my friend._

**_16_****_th_****_ of Rain's Hand, 4E 191_**

_Pontius is dead. A Dark Brotherhood assassin was killed by a common bandit while walking the streets of Cheydinhal. How can something so sad be so funny?_"

The next entry, written on the day of Lilliana's birthday, the year she turned nine, begged the Night Mother to give him her voice in exchange for the laughter. He pleaded so hard, and Lilliana couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. He continued to say that it was not safe to leave the Sanctuary.

"**_29_****_th_****_ of Last Seed, 4E 191_**

_Garnag is gone. Gone gone gone gone gone. Left to get food, but he'll be back. It's only been three months. Three months. Tree months? Twelve moths? Four sloths!_

**_21_****_st_****_ of Sun's Dusk, 4E 192_**

_Cicero is dead! Cicero is born!_

_The laughter has filled me, filled me so very completely. I am the laughter. I am the jester. The soul that has served as my constant companion for so long has breached the veil of the Void finally and forever. It is now in me. It is me._

_The world has seen the last of Cicero the man. Behold Cicero, Fool of Hearts – laughter incarnate!_"

It would have been funny, if it was not so horribly tragic and sad to Lilliana. Part of her now despised the Night Mother to allow this to happen to Cicero, but the other part of her knew that her Unholy Matron had a plan, and it was meant to be.

Whether or not Cicero was happy, would probably never be known. He either hid it too well, or was already too far gone.

"**_28_****_th_****_ of Sun's Dusk, 4E 200_**

_Found the old journal, decided to write, a treatise on silence, sound, darkness, and light!_

_How long has it been since the Night Mother first came here? How long since I was made Keeper? How long since I became the fool? Since I've been alone? Since Cheydinhal fell? Since they started pounding on the door, like so many hammered heartbeats?_

_It's dark in here, and quiet. Poor Cicero no longer hears the laughter, for he is the laughter. There is no Listener in Cheydinhal. No Listener in Cyrodiil. No Listener in me. _

_We must leave here. Before the Sanctuary falls. Before the Night Mother burns. Before the Dark Brotherhood withers. Before the laughter dies._"

The last entry of the journal, though poetic and beautiful in its own way, slightly unsettled Lilliana. The reason why, though, was unknown to her.

"**_29_****_th_****_ of Sun's Dusk, 4E 200_**

_I took a stroll, and spied a maid, but Matron's duty stayed my blade. So busy now, I miss the thrill, if only I had time to kill._"

The very next entry was the next day, and finally, Lilliana felt as if she was getting somewhere.

"**_30_****_th_****_ of Sun's Dusk, 4E 200_**

_I have written the letters. So polite. So official! To Astrid, in Skyrim. Her Sanctuary still stands. Still operates. But how? No Listener means no Black Sacrament, no Black Sacrament means no contracts. Her family can abandon the Old Ways, and still survive, still kill, but is that family still Brotherhood? Or something else? Something new. Something different. Something wrong?_

_Something wrong._

_Still, we must go! Tomorrow, we set sail. Float on a boat through the moat called the sea her and me!_"

"I can't agree more, Cicero," Lilliana said quietly. "Something wrong."

"**_22_****_nd_****_ of Evening Star, 4E 200_**

_Sick sick sick of the rocking tossing rolling throwing upon the gray gray waves!_

_I've been reading of Skyrim, of the good days, the old days, of the Old Ways. There was another Sanctuary once. A Dawnstar Sanctuary. Good, ancient and strong. Blessed by Sithis. Cicero will go there! No need of Astrid! _

_The Mother and I will settle, and she will speak to me, finally, and we will build the Old Ways anew, together._

**_23_****_rd _****_of Evening Star, 4E 200_**

_The passphrase is mine! I have found it, in a letter ancient as the Sanctuary itself._

_The Black Door will ask – 'What is life's greatest illusion?'_

_I am to answer – 'Innocence, my brother.'_

_Finally, a space, a place, to call my own! A joker's retreat for the Fool of Hearts!_"

"That's it! Finally!" Lilliana exclaimed to herself quietly. The next few entries talked of the Sanctuary, and that the Night Mother still would not speak to him. He spoke of how he decided to come to the Falkreath Sanctuary anyway. Then, there was nothing else.

Lilliana grabbed all the journals and placed them in her pack, so no one else could get to them. They belonged to Cicero, and she had to admit that she felt a bit bad for delving into his life in such a way. After all, though, there was nothing else that could have been done. He didn't have to know, anyway. She turned to exit the room, but a glint from under the bed caught her eye. After closer inspection, she found another small book. Her right eyebrow rose at the sight.

Another journal? She already had the information she needed, and didn't want to waste time reading through this one. She opens it and turns to the first page, seeing that it must be the most recent one.

"Hm." Shrugging, Lilliana placed it in her pack along with the others.

She exited the room and made her way to her room. As she quickly packed her things she would need, thoughts raced through her head. _I can't kill Arnbjorn, no, he was defending the Speaker of the sanctuary. But he also attacked the Keeper. It was understandable, though! _She slung her pack over her shoulder, along with her bow and a quiver of arrows. _I still need to get Arnbjorn back to the Sanctuary unharmed. Astrid seems to be forgetting that she can't boss me around, so I should probably restate mine and the Night Mother's authority. _

She continued to ponder over her options as she entered the Night Mother's chambers, seeking assistance before she set out for Dawnstar.

"Mother, I need your help," she said as she sat down in front of the coffin. "I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I need to save Cicero and Arnbjorn, and I need to take care of Astrid."

"_Trust your instincts, Listener,_" the Night Mother's cryptic voice filled her head, soothing her frayed nerves. "_Make your authority known to Astrid. She is a Speaker, appointed by you, the Listener_."

"Mother, I hate to ask you of much, but please guide me and watch over my Brothers," Lilliana pleaded.

"_The family is strong, and will survive. I grant to you now, something that has not been used since the Oblivion Crisis. Outside, in the pool, you will find Shadowmere. He is a horse forged by Sithis himself, and will not fail you. Use him to get to your Brothers quickly, and do not fail, my Listener._" The silence that filled Lilliana's head was unsettling, especially since the last line was spoken with a sense of authority and threat.

"I understand. Thank you, Mother," Lilliana said as she stood. Over her time as Listener, though short, she learned to trust the Night Mother's guidance, even though it was usually cryptic and vague. Lilliana sometimes wondered if she should just trust her own instincts, because that seemed to be the way her Unholy Matron pointed her.

She heard Astrid before she saw her. "_Lilliana!_" She rounded the corner to enter the main room and almost ran right into her. She was met with a glare. "Well, what did you find? Where is the fool?"

"The old Dawnstar sanctuary. I have the passphrase," Lilliana told her simply.

"Well, get going!" Astrid bellowed. "Please, save my husband."

Lilliana hated the woman, but couldn't help but to feel sorry for her. By the look in Astrid's eyes, she was desperate, and her command wasn't quite an order, but a plea.

She decided to deal with authority later, and to not waste time saving her Brothers. After all, she knew how it felt to lose someone so close.

**oOo**

"Wake up!" a female voice yelled. "Wake up, you drunkard!"

The only thing Oliver knew, was that he had no clue where he was.

"What, what? What happened?" he mumbled as he opened his eyes. The scene before him was blurry, but he could tell that he was _not _in Whiterun, not at all. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Temple of Dibella, in Markarth," another female voice answered. "You came in last night, deep in your cups, and you trashed our temple!"

He could now see that he was surrounded by a few angry priestesses. He was, in fact, in Markarth – evident from the Dwarven building he was in.

"I'm sorry!" Oliver reached up to rub his aching head. "I don't remember anything, I apologize. Can you tell me what day it is, and if I said anything about a man named Sam?"

When Oliver went to the Bannered Mare, he ran into a man named Sam. He seemed shady, but offered a _special _brew. Oliver could not refuse the offer, and entered a drinking contest with Sam. The last thing he remembered was being offered a staff if he won, and Sam handing him his third tankard. _This is why you don't take drinks from strangers, Oliver_, he thought.

"Most of what you were saying was incoherent, but you mentioned something about Rorikstead, Sam, and a goat. If any of that makes sense to you, then you're welcome," the priestess answered.

"Again, I'm sorry about your temple. I'll clean it up," Oliver said apologetically. He rose to his feet, stumbling slightly, and scanned the area. Things were strewn everywhere, there was no lie about that, but after he picked the items up, he came across a note. It was from Sam, telling him the items they needed to fix the staff.

_Why did I agree on the staff anyways? _he thought as he left the temple. _I don't use them. _

Everything in Markarth seemed fine. He would have to remember to ask the innkeeper if he heard anything about Lilliana. _I can deal with this and search for her at the same time. _

Just as he was entering the inn, though, he remembered something.

The priestess never told him what day it was.

**oOo**

Lilliana rode Shadowmere, nonstop, until she reached Dawnstar. When she left the sanctuary, it was midday. She rode late into the night, getting to Dawnstar much faster than she expected. It wasn't until around dawn the next day when she arrived. Shadowmere was much faster than a regular horse, and did not tire at all, it seemed. She rode straight through the town, vaguely remembering the first murder she committed when she failed to pickpocket the blacksmith, but the thought quickly vanished.

She kept riding, but realized she was no longer guiding Shadowmere. He galloped away from the town and down the coast, slowing once the town was almost out of sight. A black door came into view around the corner, letting Lilliana know that the sanctuary actually existed, but her attention was quickly drawn to the pool of blood a few feet away from the door, and the large Nord man that sat in the pool.

Lilliana slid off of Shadowmere and approached Arnbjorn, who was holding his side. He looked up to her, and she couldn't tell what his emotion was.

"Should have known Astrid would send you," he said, pain in his voice.

"You're hurt," Lilliana stated.

Arnbjorn laughed, and it sounded forced. "What gave it away? The jester got be good with that butter-knife of his. He ran into that door, a sanctuary, by the looks of it. I would have followed him, but I don't know the phrase. I got him good, though, I think I severed an artery."

"Here, take this," Lilliana said and pulled a vial out of her pack. "It's a healing potion. Drink it and make your way back to the sanctuary. Astrid is worried sick."

"Thanks, beef roast," he answered, a hint of affection in his voice. "Make sure to kill that jester twice, just to make sure."

"Okay…" Lilliana said simply, her head drooping a bit. She was tired, but also conflicted. She wasn't going to kill Cicero, but everyone expected her to. Something was going to have to be done.

"Look, sister," Arnbjorn started, pulling Lilliana from her thoughts. "I know you and the clown have a thing, but he attacked Astrid, so something has to be done. Take your time in there, I'll tell Astrid to not expect you for a while, if you want to get your goodbyes in."

"A thing?!" Lilliana gasped. "You're crazy." She turned to approach the door.

"Obviously, I'm not the only one."

"Just drink your potion…" She trailed off as she reached the door.

"_What is life's greatest illusion?_" it asked her.

"Innocence, my brother," she answered.

"_Welcome home,_" it whispered, swinging open.

Lilliana entered the sanctuary, immediately noticing that it was eerily quiet. She pulled her bow out, not knowing what was awaiting her.

"Listener! Is that you?" She heard Cicero's voice call out, coming from deeper in the sanctuary. It sounded pained. "Oh, I knew you'd come." There was a trail of blood leading to the door. Arnbjorn _did _wound Cicero. "Send the best to defeat the best. Astrid knew her stupid wolf couldn't slay sly Cicero!"

"Cicero?" Lilliana called, stepping through the door. "I would like to talk to you! I'm worried!"

"Oh, Listener, always so concerned and kind! The Pretender sent the Listener to kill the Keeper, did she not? Why does the Listener think Cicero would gladly welcome her?"

"No, Cic-" she was cut off by more of his rambling. _This… This isn't the Cicero I know. This must be the jester, _she thought darkly.

"Oh, but this isn't at all what Mother would want. You kill the Keeper or I kill the Listener? Now, that's madness!"

A ghost appeared, wearing Brotherhood clothes. It gasped, and began to charge straight toward Lilliana.

"Wait!" she called, readying her bow. "I'm the Listener! Don't attack me!"

It didn't seem to hear her, because it did just what she told him not to. Lilliana found that the guardians were easy to shoot down, as long as she was able to sneak up on them. To her right, was a staircase blocked by iron bars. Below, was what looked like the main room. The stained-glass window was broken, and on the other side, a door was closed. To her right, was a bridge.

_I suppose this is the only way I can go, _Lilliana thought as the approached the doorway. A guardian was on the other side of the bridge, and it didn't see her yet. Just as she pulled her bowstring back, spikes shot out from the wall, nearly going right through her head. It was followed by Cicero's voice.

"Ouch! Pointy pointy! My home is well defended. I always have been a stickler for details. Get it? Stick-ler! Ha ha! Oh, I slay me!" His rant was followed by mad laughter. Lilliana sighed, and fired an arrow at the guardian. It hit his neck, and he fell. She made her way past the spikes and down a flight of stairs. In front of her was what looked like a training room, with a floor covered in oil. From the looks of it, a tripwire was rigged to light the oil up.

"I can exploit this," she muttered, eyeing some more guardians. She reached out and broke the wire, quickly moving back against the wall. Urns fell from above, lighting the oil. The room erupted into flames, taking care of the guardians that occupied the room. Once the fire died down, Lilliana made her way to the other side, examining the room. A hallway was off to her left, but was blocked off by some fallen rocks.

Further on, just as she was about to enter the main room she saw earlier, Cicero's voice rang out once more.

"You're… still alive." He sounded less frantic than earlier. "Cicero respects the Listener's abilities, of course, but could you at least slow down a bit? I'm not what I used to be." He gave a short laugh, that sounded more like a grunt.

Lilliana made short work of the guardians that appeared in the main room, shooting them down quickly. She was determined to find Cicero and talk to him.

The door across the room was barred shut from the other side, leaving Lilliana with no other choice but to go through the broken stained-glass window. The other side of it was snowy, and cold.

"Brrr! Chilly!" she heard Cicero say. "You'll enjoy this. Not an original part of the sanctuary, per se. Let's call it a 'forced addition'. Forced by what? Oh, come and see!"

Lilliana readied an arrow on her bowstring and stalked forward. She rounded the corner, and her eyes widened at the sight. A troll, a huge one, at that, roamed the icy cavern. It had not yet spotted Lilliana, so she took the chance to fire an arrow straight into the beast's head. She was lucky, for the arrow found its mark, and the troll died instantly with a weak roar.

"Whenever I see Aela again, I need to remember to thank her a million times…" she muttered to herself as she passed through the cavern. As she was entering the sanctuary, Cicero called out again.

"All right, so Cicero attacked that harlot, Astrid!" he pleaded, more desperate than before. "But what's a fool to do, when his mother is slandered and mocked? Surely the Listener understands!"

The Listener _did _understand. She wouldn't have been happy with Astrid, either, and was not happy with her in the first place. _I will deal with her later…_

She descended a flight of stairs into what seemed to be catacombs. From a shadowy corner, she shot down three more guardians, one almost landing a hit on her. She passed through them quickly, wanting to get to Cicero.

"Cicero! Where are you?" Lilliana shouted down the hallway and toward more stairs. "I'm not here to kill you! I just want to talk!"

He didn't seem to hear her, or chose to ignore her. "Cicero admits, he thought the Listener would be dead by now!" There was a strange tone to his voice that wasn't there before. It almost sounded like sadness, if it wasn't so _insane_. "Maybe we could just forget all this? Hmm? Let bygones be bygones? What do you say?"

"I say to stop with the mockery and talk to me!" she screamed in response. Her exhaustion and stress over the situation was beginning to get to her. She had always had a bad temper. "The temper of a dragon!" as her mother always said.

"If it's any comfort, I do feel _slightly _bad about Veezara. Stupid lizard got in my way! But please tell me that hulking sheepdog has bled to death!"

"Cicero, _gods dammit_!" Lilliana honestly didn't know if her rage was coming from his mockery, or her own built up tension. Frankly, she didn't care enough to ponder it.

"_Die!_" a spectral guardian whispered as it rushed toward Lilliana from a nearby staircase.

"Please just fuck off! I'm the gods dammed Listener!" she shouted as she pulled her bowstring back, firing an arrow into its head with no second thought. _Maybe I should get exhausted before contracts so I won't feel remorse, _she thought dully. _No, that's probably really bad. _

"And now, we come to the end of our play," Cicero said, his voice more pained than before. "The grand finale."

At the end of the staircase was another hall, with two doors on each side. A great stain of crimson adorned the door on the right, causing Lilliana to choose to open that one. The sight behind it drew a gasp from her. It was an ancient torture room, with rusted tools lining the shelves and two skeletons chained to the wall directly in front of her. The worst sight of all, though, was the jester curled up between them, in front of a fire.

"I'm not going to kill you," she said simply, placing her bow and dagger on the ground. She sighed. "Don't think I'm going to shoot fireballs at you. I can barely cast a flame spell to save my life."

"If the Listener is not here to kill Cicero, then why?"

"I don't take Astrid's orders. I needed to make sure Arnbjorn was okay. You may hate him, but him and I seem to have a fondness for each other. Probably from our past with the Companions…" She was rambling now, and continued to talk as she sat on the floor in front of Cicero. He was strangely quiet, and was staring at her. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. Astrid wanted me to kill you, but I don't want to. Mother wouldn't want it. You're her Keeper. I had to read your journals to figure out where you went and I'm sorry. I brought them for you."

With that, she reached into her pack and pulled the books out. She sat them on the ground in front of Cicero. "You're hurt."

"Cicero will live."

"Okay, but you're still hurt," Lilliana protested, pulling a healing potion from her bag. She sat it beside the journals. "I don't know what's going to happen, but you can't come back to the Falkreath sanctuary. I'll figure something out. The Night Mother needs her Keeper. I don't know." She shook her head. _Maybe the Listener needs her Keeper, too… _she thought dully.

"Everything will be okay, Lis- Lilliana," Cicero said. She was surprised at the use of her name. "Don't have a look of such despair!" She looked down at him, and instead of a hopeful expression like she was expecting, it was a look of genuine concern, and something… more. Her curiosity was sparked, but she was too tired to care.

"Why should I have a look of anything else?" she asked with a sigh, rubbing her eyes.

"You need sleep."

"Huh?" She was shocked at his change of tense. "Lilliana doesn't need sleep? _I _need sleep? Not Lilliana?"

"Aren't you and Lilliana the same thing?" Cicero replied with a smile.

"I'm not sure anymore."

The fire was warm, and she felt strangely at ease from speaking to Cicero.

"Could you drink the potion and then hold me? I need a hug," she said.

"Cicero isn't hurt," he said, sitting up.

"You really are a fucking jester," she said, smiling. There was, in fact, a wound, but not enough to be remotely bad. It seemed that the Keeper had already healed himself.

"Cicero wears the motley for a reason!"

With that, he reached out to give her the hug she asked for. Instead of pulling back after a moment, she stayed there, with her head on his shoulder. It was so _warm_.

"The Listener is going to fall asleep here."

"I hope you're okay with that," Lilliana mumbled, before doing just that.

**oOo**

**Hello all! I'm sorry for how long it takes me to update. I have so much planned! Also, question. Do any of you ship Cicero and Lilliana? (Shipping is pairing two characters in a romantic relationship, like how people "ship" Rey and Kylo Ren in Star Wars, Zuko and Katara in Avatar, and even Thor and Loki in Marvel. Honestly, I never quite understood the last one. I'm at least 99% sure Thor isn't gay. Loki, though, well I'm sure he could change himself into a woman, so you can draw your own conclusion from that.) I have a friend who said he shipped them, and I kind of do, too. They'd make a good pair! What about Oliver, though? Will she go back to him? Hmm. I wonder... We shall see. (But who doesn't wanna have a snuggly werewolf boyfriend? Personally, I'd want the insane jester, but each to their own.)**

**Excuse my weird ranting. **

**-Rayne**


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